Delilah
by eshadlow
Summary: Season 3 - SV. Sydney receives a clue to her missing two years, but not one she is expecting. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Title: Delilah Author: Eden Shadlow Email: eshadlow@iprimus.com.au Disclaimer: Not mine, JJ Abrams and Touchstone own them. Author's Notes: Set in early Season 3, post The Two at a minimum. This is my first Alias fic (previous attempts include Dawson's Creek, Friends, ER, The West Wing and a hell of a lot of Roswell). It's a little odd, but I hope people enjoy it. Muse-ic: My Immortal by Evanescence. Dedicated to Shaun for being the best friend a girl can have.  
  
**********  
  
Sydney Bristow sits at her desk, her mind wandering. Today has been an empty day, one where she hasn't been required to do anything. In years gone by, she relished the days where there was no missions to prepare for or people to save. These days, however, she dreads them. Because every day without anything to do meant another day without any clue as to how to bring back her memory of the last two years.  
  
In the five weeks since she'd been 'back from the dead', so to speak, they were really no closer to discovering where she'd been or why she couldn't remember it. And she was no closer to adjusting to her life as it was now.  
  
Sydney sighs and tries to drag her attention back to her work before her, but it's really not much use. When someone calls her name she turns around, relieved.  
  
"Agent Bristow," an agent whose name she can't remember approaches her desk. "Sorry to interrupt you, but we have a walk in downstairs for you."  
  
"For me?" The agent - whose name is Noll, she's able to read from his badge - nods.  
  
"You'd better come down right away." Something in his tone of voice makes Sydney uncomfortable and she quickly gathers herself together and follows him downstairs, notepad and pen in hand.  
  
Agent Noll leads her to one of the interview rooms they have for just such purposes. Inside, instead of some scared looking witness, all she finds is another agent, bending over something on the floor. "I'm Agent Bristow, what's going on?" she asks with little tact or pause. The agent kneeling on the floor stands to reveal a black jogging stroller containing a toddler of about 18 months of age. The agent - another nameless face to Sydney - has a toy in one hand and has obviously been trying to keep the child occupied.  
  
"What's going on?" Sydney asks again, beginning to get very confused. "Where's the walk in?"  
  
"Um, Agent Bristow, she is the walk in," The female agent indicates to the child sitting in the stroller. Sydney steps forward slowly to get a better look. She is a little girl, with soft brown hair in miniature pigtails that frame her face and eyes that are currently almost closed with sleep. She looks healthy and well taken of.  
  
"Did someone come with her?" Sydney can't quite imagine who would drop a child off to the CIA.  
  
"No, one of the guards heard her crying and found the stroller parked in the lobby. We have no idea how long she'd been there, but we're pulling the video from the security cameras now."  
  
"Good, anything in the stroller?"  
  
Agent Noll nods, "A very well stocked diaper bag, and this." He offers Sydney and envelope which she takes carefully. In delicate scrawl on the front is written her name.  
  
Sydney stares at the envelope for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, she turns it over and gently breaks open the seal on the flap. The envelope contains a single page of handwriting.  
  
Sydney,  
  
I know you can't remember her, but I can't keep her from you any longer. It isn't right.  
  
Sydney pales as she reads the letter through several more times. Agent Noll notices this, and enquires about her.  
  
"Agent Bristow, is there anything wrong?"  
  
Sydney takes a moment to compose herself, but eventually turns to face the other agents in the room. "Yes, I need you to get Agent Weiss and my father for me now, please."  
  
They scurry out, following her request. Sydney is left alone in the room. Slowly, she lowers herself to the floor, kneeling in front of the now- sleeping toddler in the stroller. She's dressed in overalls with a red top underneath. Embroidered onto the bib of her overalls in neat letters is the word Delilah. 'Her name?' Sydney wonders as she carefully inspects every part of the child, trying to see if there is anything amiss with her. She carefully checks her tiny red shoes and other clothes for bugs, but finds nothing.  
  
Finally, Sydney looks intently at the child's face. Something about it seems almost familiar, but she can't figure out what. She takes a moment to take in her slightly flushed cheeks, her soft curling brown pigtails, and her closed eyes framed by incredibly long eyelashes Sydney would die for. Is this little girl a clue to her missing time? And what did the writer of the note mean by "it isn't right"?  
  
The little girl sighs as her head drops forward in sleep. Instinctively, Sydney reaches out to cushion her face and moves her head gently back to rest on her shoulder. The movement is enough to startle her out of sleep. Her head snaps up in shock as she blinks rapidly, her eyes finally locking with Sydney's.  
  
Their colour is deep brown, a colour Sydney has only ever seen in one place before.  
  
Her mother.  
  
Sydney stands up and moves back a few steps, staring at the child. Her eyes register shock for a moment which quickly changes to joy as the little girl reaches out her arms.  
  
"Maman!" she squeals with delight as she strains against the straps holding her, her arms reaching forward towards Sydney.  
  
Sydney stops dead, staring even more than before, if possible. "Maman," the girl pleads again, her face beginning to show confusion as she waves her arms before her.  
  
Sydney turns and runs from the room, almost wiping out her father and Weiss as she enters the hallway. She barely makes it to the bathroom before she heaves her lunch up. Kneeling on the cold tile floor for a few moments to catch her breath, Sydney plays the moment in the holding room over and over again in her mind. The child's eyes still haunt her - so much like Irina's. So much like her own.  
  
She stays on the floor for several minutes before she makes her way to the sink, rinsing her mouth and splashing water on her face. She glances quickly in the mirror as she raises her head and takes a brief glance at her own reflection. The face she sees is not her own; it hasn't been her own since the day she woke up in Hong Kong. There are more lines in more places, her cheeks are rounder than they were before her disappearance and her eyes have lost that light that they used to have.  
  
But they're still her mother's eyes, and so are the child's.  
  
Sydney can hear the little girl crying long before she re-enters the holding room. She finds Weiss and Jack standing around staring at the stroller, looking very lost. The girl is screaming pitifully, tears pouring down her very red cheeks, still straining against her harness to get out of her stroller. She looks up as Sydney enters the room and reaches her arms out once again. "MAMAN!!" she screams. The desperation in her tone turns Sydney's stomach once again and she crosses the room to free the child from her seat, gathering her up in her arms.  
  
"Maman, maman," the word is like a mantra to the child as she burrows her head into Sydney's neck, her arms grasped tightly to her clothes and hair. Sydney feels the child's tears trickling down her neck as her chest heaves with slowly calming sobs. She merely wraps her arms tighter around the girl and tries in vain to calm her down.  
  
"Sydney, what's going on?" Jack Bristow looks at his daughter, confused. All he was told was that there was a walk in; he has no idea what this child is doing here. Jack looks at Weiss, whose expression of confusion only matches his own.  
  
"Here," Sydney balances the girl in one arm as she grabs the letter from the table and hands it to her father. "Someone left her in the lobby with that note. I've got Agent Noll analysing the security tapes now, trying to see who left her."  
  
Jack quickly reads the letter then hands it to Weiss, staring at his daughter and the child snuggled tightly in her arms. "Has she been checked for bugs?" he asks, ever the agent.  
  
Sydney gives him a dark-ish look and nods, "Yeah, I checked her myself too. She's clean."  
  
"Well, on the surface she is, anyway," Weiss says, putting down the note. "We'll need to check her thoroughly, make sure someone's not using her as a plant."  
  
"Agent Weiss is right, we'll need to get her over to Medical Services right away, have her scanned for internal bugs. I'll go talk to Dixon." With that, Jack turns and leaves the room.  
  
Sydney and Weiss watch each other for a moment before one of them speaks. "She looks comfortable," Weiss comments, pointing to the child. Sydney follows his gaze to see that she's almost asleep, her thumb shoved comfortably into her mouth.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. I think she misses her mom, who ever that is," Sydney says, the last part of her sentence trailing off as she imagines the possibilities, each more worrying than the next.  
  
Weiss begins to pack up the stroller, slinging the diaper bag over one shoulder. "We should take her through to medical services now, while she's quiet." He explains. Sydney nods and together they make their way through the corridors.  
  
To say the looks they get are interesting is an understatement. Other workers stare and twist their heads to double check that what they are seeing is correct. Agent Bristow is walking through the building with a baby asleep in her arms.  
  
Dixon meets them at medical services along with Dr Jonathan Wells, another new face Sydney doesn't know. Jonathan attempts to take the little girl from Sydney's arms but she's awake in an instant and screaming. In the end, Sydney follows Jonathan to the radiology department, the little girl in her arms and quiet.  
  
With much coaxing, Sydney manages to get her out of her grasp and lay the girl town on the table to be scanned. She gratefully accepts Dr Wells' offer of a chair and sits beside her, keeping her wiggling body as still as she can. Once again, Sydney notes the embroidered name on the child's overalls. "Delilah," she says softly, causing the girl to turn to her. "Id that your name, Delilah?" Sydney asks and Delilah just laughs.  
  
"Agent Bristow, we're going to begin now." Jonathan hands her a lead apron and steps behind the screen to quickly shoot the x-rays. They x-ray her entire body, tiny as it is, Sydney keeping one hand firmly on Delilah the whole time. As soon as Jonathan indicates he's done, Sydney releases her grasp and Delilah immediately climbs off of the table and sits herself down in Sydney's lap, thumb in mouth once again.  
  
"Jus?" she asks, looking up at Sydney expectantly. Sydney smiles, then stops, taking a moment to register what the little girl said. "Jus, maman?" the little voice asks again.  
  
"What is she saying?" Sydney looks up to see Dr. Wells standing before her, a large envelope of x-ray films in his hand.  
  
"She wants a drink of juice," Sydney explains, looking back the Delilah. "Jus is juice is French, she's speaking French." Sydney's head is reeling, too much information all fighting for space. "Can I give her something?"  
  
Jonathan shakes his head, "No, not yet. I need to do some blood work first. Follow me."  
  
Delilah enjoys the needles about as much as Sydney would - not at all. Afterwards, as they wait for the results, Sydney sits with her in the cell that had at one stage housed her mother, nursing the toddler as she downs a bottle of juice Sydney found in her diaper bag. Delilah falls asleep again and Sydney lays her down on the cot, pulling a chair close to make sure she doesn't roll off.  
  
In sleep, Delilah's hidden eyes no longer startle her. In fact, the resemblance to her mother that Sydney found so alluring and disturbing is no longer so obvious when her eyes are closed. Sydney finds herself mulling once again over the possible reasons for the appearance of this child, none of them particularly great. The author of the note is making her think, also. Her first thought had been her mother, but she knows that is not possible and she can't think of anyone else who might have an urge to protect a child.  
  
Which leads her to believe that any memory of the person who bought her Delilah is tied up in the forgotten two years she's still trying to process.  
  
"Agent Bristow?" Sydney looks up at the sound of Dr Wells' voice. "I got some preliminary test results back." Delilah stirs at the sound of his voice and Sydney motions for the Dr to be quieter. They move to the corner of the room, Sydney keeping one eye on Delilah the whole time.  
  
"What did the tests show?" Sydney asks in a hushed tone.  
  
"She's clean, no implanted devices of any kind. The growth plates on her X Rays indicate she's about 18 months old, give or take. But it's the blood work that has me puzzled."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Firstly, she has small doses of various sedatives in her system, probably given by whoever bought her here from Europe, which I'm assuming is where she's come from."  
  
Sydney nods, "What else?"  
  
"OK, keep in mind these results are very preliminary, we won't have final numbers for about 72 hours yet." Dr Wells pauses, shuffling the pages in his hands nervously. "We ran a sample of Delilah's DNA against all samples we had on record as well as against any records of missing children worldwide."  
  
"Did you get a match?"  
  
"Yes, we did. Two, in fact. Here." Jonathan hands her a piece of paper. Sydney quickly reads the results and gasps, her head bolting up to stare at the child sleeping on the other side of the room.  
  
"It's not possible," she whispers almost to herself. "It's just not possible."  
  
********** 


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Set in early Season 3, post The Two at a minimum. This is my first Alias fic. It's a little odd, but I hope people enjoy it.  
  
Dedicated to all the writers and readers at SD-1.com for welcoming me into their group so nicely, and giving me plenty to read at the same time!  
  
**********  
  
Sydney eyes fill with tears as she stares at the piece of paper in her hands. "Can you find Agent Weiss, now please." She manages to ask Jonathan who scurries away quickly. Sydney makes her way across the room and sinks into the chair she placed beside the sleeping Delilah, her eyes still focused on the paper in front of her. She shifts her gaze to look at the little girl.  
  
Her daughter.  
  
Vaughn's daughter.  
  
It's just not possible.  
  
And yet, that's what this piece of paper tells her. That approximately 18 months ago she apparently gave birth to a child she cannot remember who was fathered by a man who she loved more than she could ever have imagined. A man who is now married to someone else and wants not a hell of a lot to do with her.  
  
Oh my god, she forgot her own child.  
  
The thought is enough to turn Sydney's stomach for the second time that day and she barely makes it to the sink in time. Weiss enters the room in time to catch the tail end of her digestive pyrotechnics.  
  
"Syd, you ok?" he rushes across the room as she sinks to the floor, pale and frightened.  
  
"I forgot her. I forgot my own daughter," she tells him, the tears that have been threatening to fall for the last few hours finally doing so as she starts to sob. "Oh my god, my poor baby." Sydney trails off as Weiss awkwardly wraps his arms around her, very confused.  
  
"What are you talking about?" he asks, not really sure if he wants to even know the answer.  
  
"Delilah, the walk in, the baby.she's my daughter." Sydney tells Weiss in a choked manner. He pulls back from her and holds her at arms length, staring at her.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Sydney rubs one hand roughly over her eyes, trying to clear the tears and wordlessly hands him the blood test results. Weiss quickly reads them, eventually lowering the paper and staring at her, his face suddenly grey.  
  
"How?" he asks, unable to come up with anything more in depth.  
  
Sydney shakes her head, "I don't know. I don't know what's happened." They sit in silence for a few minutes, neither wanting to say anything.  
  
"You know you have to tell him, right. He's going to want to know." Weiss bravely states, causing Sydney to give him a dark look.  
  
"I assume you're talking about Vaughn?" Weiss nods. "Not yet, not until I know the final results."  
  
"Sydney, is that the best idea, I mean - "  
  
"He's away with Lauren, Eric!" Sydney shouts, completely forgetting the sleeping child for a moment before lowering her voice. "I am not going to drag him back here yet, I can't deal with that now!"  
  
"But he needs to! Sydney, this is not going to be easy for him, you can't not tell him he has a child."  
  
"I know that Eric, I will tell him. Just not yet, I need some time to deal with this myself, try and find out what happened." Sydney's voice trails off and she glances over at Delilah, eyes moist. "You think this isn't going to be difficult for me? I carried a child for nine months, gave birth to her, quite possibly raised her at some point in her life and yet I can't remember her or any of it. What kind of mother does that make me?"  
  
Weiss moves over beside her and places one arm awkwardly around her shoulder in a sweet attempt at comfort. "None of that matters, Sydney. She obviously isn't affected by it, in fact I'd bet she wouldn't know the difference between you and the woman she knows as her mother. Probably because they're one in the same, even if you don't remember."  
  
Sydney nods, taking comfort in his presence for a few minutes. "Any leads on who bought her here?" she finally asks, causing Weiss to nod.  
  
"Your father has Marshall analysing the tapes right now, they're trying to get an ID on a woman they have footage of leaving the building not long before she was found."  
  
"I'd like to go help them," Sydney begins, her eyes glancing once again to her sleeping child. "Can you watch her for a few minutes?"  
  
Weiss pulls back from Sydney and pales. "Um, excuse me?"  
  
"She's sleeping Weiss, I'll only be a few minutes. Please? I need to find out what's going on, and she can't leave yet."  
  
Weiss sighs, "OK, but you've got 10 minutes only."  
  
"Thank you," Sydney smiles at him and leaves the cell.  
  
She joins her father, Marshall and Dixon in the conference room where they are all fixed on images on screens before them. "Anything?"  
  
Three heads turn at the sound of her voice. "We have an image on the person who left her, but no ID yet," Dixon tells her. "I assume Dr Wells has been to see you?" His tone is concerned as is his gaze. Sydney nods.  
  
"Are you ok?" The question comes from her father, startling Sydney. For a moment their eyes lock, Sydney hoping to find some trace of emotion in her fathers gaze but uncovering none.  
  
"I will be," Sydney answers noncommittally. "I just want to find out what's going on."  
  
Jack nods and indicates for her to sit down. She does, her eyes straying to the screens on the desk. Frozen in frame is a camera shot of a young woman, maybe in her late 20's leaving the CIA offices via the front door. Her blond hair is tied back from her face is a short ponytail and her eyes are obscured by dark sunglasses. "Is this her?" Sydney asks.  
  
"Yes, it's the best shot we have so far. No ID yet, but we're working on it." Jack reports in his signature brisk manner.  
  
"And no one else saw anything?"  
  
"No one we've interviewed, which means no one in this building." Dixon replies.  
  
"OK, I'd better get back and Weiss. Will one of you come find me if anything changes?"  
  
"I will Sydney," Marshall promises, flashing her a shy smile. Sydney returns it and gets up to return to Delilah's cell.  
  
Delilah is awake when she returns, trotting around the cell following a small ball Weiss is rolling for her. God only knows where he pulled it from. Sydney pauses for a moment to study her daughter. Her daughter; the words still sound foreign. And yet, already she feels that connection she's heard mothers speak of. The feeling inside that tells you that you would move heaven and earth to please, pacify or protect your child.  
  
Now that she's had a chance to look properly, she can see the resemblance Delilah shares with her. And also, to a lesser degree, her mother. The hair, the eyes, the shape of the face are all Sydney, as are the dimples in her cheeks. But there's something in the way she moves, the alignment of her little body, that she could have gotten from no one else but Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn, now there's an interesting dilemma. She meant what she said to Weiss earlier about not wanting to tell him yet. The DNA results are only preliminary, and despite what she's feeling in her heart, she wants to be 100% before bringing him into this. There are just too many questions he will have which she can't answer yet. She needs a chance to find some answers on her own before she can give him his.  
  
Weiss looks up as Sydney enters, relieved. "She woke up like the instant you left the room, and I didn't know what to do."  
  
Sydney chuckles as she kneels down on the floor and intercepts Delilah's wayward rolling object. "You did just fine, trust me. Where did you find the ball?"  
  
"In her bag, there's a few toys and some books. I was going to read to her, but they're in French and I don't speak it."  
  
"She does," Sydney tells him, gesturing to Delilah. "To what degree I can't tell yet. But she's spoken only French to me so far." Delilah brings the ball back to her mother, but instead of handing it over she climbs up onto Sydney's knees and wraps her arms around her neck, planting big wet kisses on her cheek. Sydney smiles like a Cheshire cat, instinctively wrapping her own arms around her daughter and blowing raspberries onto her neck, causing Delilah to giggle.  
  
"You'd never know you only met today," Eric tells her, observing the mother and daughter interacting with one another.  
  
"I don't think we did," Sydney tells him plainly. "I just wish I knew how." Once again, they silently agree to let the topic lie for a while.  
  
"Sydney?" she looks up to see Jack in the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"  
  
Weiss and Sydney exchange a glance and he stands up. "I'll be going, Syd. I'll come back later and check on you." Weiss makes tracks very quickly.  
  
Jack and Sydney just watch each other for a moment before Jack's eyes stray to Delilah, sitting comfortably on her mother's lap. "Dr. Wells has ordered more tests for tomorrow. An MRI, nerve tests, probably various others." Sydney nods, waiting for Jack to go on. He crouches down beside them, lifting his head from gazing at Delilah to look at his daughter. "It's been suggested that it might be best for you to stay with her here until she's released."  
  
Sydney attempts to look surprised, not having the heart to tell her father that she would have stayed anyway. Let him think she's doing what she's told, help him feel useful. She watches as Jack's gaze falls once again on Delilah and smiles as the two lock eyes. Delilah stares at the man who is her grandfather, reaching one hand out towards him to offer the stuffed dog she's holding.  
  
"Chien?" she asks innocently. When she sees the mixture of shock and absolute terror on Jack's face, Sydney can't help but laugh. Jack turns to his daughter, his expression clearly showing he is not amused.  
  
"She's trying to share, dad. That's all."  
  
"And why is she sharing in French?" Jack asks in his trademark brisk tone.  
  
"It seems to be all she speaks," Sydney explains for the third time that day, wondering why people can't just realize the obvious answer. Annoyed at the loss of their attention, Delilah offers out her animal once again, squealing shrilly. Wincing, Jack and Sydney turn to her again.  
  
"I think she wants to play," Sydney explains. "There's not much to do here, she must be bored."  
  
Jack stands from his crouching position, shaking out his pants and jacket as he does. "Well, hopefully it'll only be a few more days, then we can figure out what we're going to do."  
  
"I hope so, I'll be glad to take her home," Sydney says without realizing, surprised at herself. The look Jack gives her shows he too is surprised by her comments. Yet, it came so naturally to her to say that, to assume Delilah will be going home with her. In fact, at this moment in time, she can't imagine any other possible outcome.  
  
"Yes, well," Jack stumbles over his words. "We'll discuss that when we come to it. I'll see you tomorrow Sydney." Jack looks from her to his grand-daughter but doesn't say anything to the little one. Still, the fact that he even acknowledged her presence makes Sydney see this as progress.  
  
Sydney spends the evening getting to know her daughter. First off is dinner, a pizza provided by Weiss. Sydney watches in great amusement at the delicate manner Delilah uses to carefully pick off the pieces of topping and place them in her mouth. Afterwards, she attempts to clean her off in the tiny bathroom they've been given access to and quickly learns of Delilah's absolute terror or showers. It takes 10 minutes for the little girl's face to fade from a hyperventilating purple shade to return to a more normal colour.  
  
Sydney rifles through Delilah's bag until she finds some clean pyjamas. She changes her diaper with skills she hasn't used since her babysitting days in high school, and in no time has Delilah all tucked up with a half- bottle of water listening to a lively reading of Un Poisson, Deux Poissons, Poissons Rouges, Poissons Bleus. It takes about 8 minutes for her to fall asleep.  
  
Sydney takes a few moments to tidy up the room before quickly sucking from the room to get herself ready for bed, asking the guard on duty to keep an eye on the baby. She stands under the hot water for what seems forever, trying to clear her mind of all the crap that's floating around but has no luck. Finally, she relents and gets out of the shower, changing into a sweatsuit someone found for her somewhere. God, it's been a long day. It seems like she's lived three days in one.  
  
Sydney tiptoes carefully back into the room and gingerly lifts the sleeping toddler into her arms. Together, she lays them down on the small bed, her daughter clutched to her chest. For a while, Sydney doesn't sleep. Instead, she lays in the quiet, enjoying the incredible feeling of her daughter's little body asleep in her arms, finally falling asleep feeling better than she has since the day she woke up in Hong Kong.  
  
The next morning, Saturday, Sydney is woken by a light kick to her solar plexus Her eyes fly open to see Delilah attempting to climb out of the bed. "Maman!" she cries as she sees Sydney's eyes open. Sydney gently lifts her down to the floor and sits up, glancing quickly at her watch. 6:08am. She sighs, and gets out of bed.  
  
The two girls chat brightly as they get washed and dressed for the day. Well, Sydney chats; Delilah merely puts in a few words of her own now and again. True to her suspicions, Delilah speaks no English, but had a fairly good French vocab.  
  
It's a little after 8:30am when breakfast arrives. Sydney attempts to feed her daughter, despite her protests for independence. Within minutes, there is oatmeal all over the table. Sydney is laughingly cleaning it off then both when she hears the door unlock and swing open. Assuming it's Weiss or her father, she doesn't turn around but merely calls out, "Just a sec, this girl of mine has made a fabulous mess."  
  
"Girl of yours?" the voice is confused and soft. Sydney feels her heart plummet to the floor and puts down the cleaning cloth in her hand. Reaching down to gather Delilah up from her chair she turns to face her visitor.  
  
"Hello, Vaughn," she says softly. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: OK, this is coming along far better than I could ever have imagined. Dedicated once again to all of you who've reviewed and emailed me and bugged me about it.  
  
**********  
  
"Hello, Vaughn," she says softly.  
  
"Weiss called me," is his only reply.  
  
"Oh," Sydney says, her temper rising a little, "he did."  
  
"Yeah, he did." Vaughn watches Sydney shift Delilah's form in her arms, his eyes locked on the little girl's face. "He told me you'd received some info about your missing time."  
  
"Yeah, I have," Sydney doesn't elaborate, instead she waits for him to ask one of the million questions she is sure he has running through his head. Delilah fidgets restlessly in her arms, breaking Sydney's concentration.  
  
"Maman, vers le bas," she commands, wanting down.  
  
Sydney cringes internally, imagining Vaughn's reaction to that particular request, but keeps her attention focused on her child. "OK, baby," she tells her in French, placing the little girl down on the floor and then tossing the small ball from yesterday a few meters away. Delilah squeals happily and goes toddling after it.  
  
Sydney straightens up and turns to look once again at Vaughn, trying desperately to not react to the lost look on his face.  
  
"What's going on?" Vaughn asks, confusion in his voice.  
  
"Um, am I interrupting?" Both Sydney and Vaughn turn their heads to the door, surprised to see Dr Jonathan Wells standing there, Weiss a few steps behind him. Neither had heard the door unlock or open they'd been so focused on each other.  
  
"No, Jonathan, you're not," Sydney breaks away from Vaughn's gaze and moves towards the doctor, glad for the distraction. "Do you need Delilah, again?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. Are you two ready to go?"  
  
Sydney opens her mouth to answer then slowly remembers Vaughn's presence and turns to face him. The look he is giving her plainly tells her that she really needs to stay and talk to him. "You can take her, but I need to stay," Sydney tells Dr Wells.  
  
"I'll go with her," Weiss steps into the room and moves over to Delilah, reaching down his arms to pick her up. Sydney waits for Delilah to scream as she did the day before, but to her surprise she reaches her own arms up and lets Weiss take her. Sydney manages to catch his eye as he stands, sending him a look that implies he will soon suffer almost certain pain. She'd specifically told him she didn't want to tell Vaughn anything et, and he went off and called him straight away. Weiss moves Delilah in front of him like a shield, threatening Sydney to try something when he has her daughter in his arms, and gets another look for his efforts. Finally, Sydney turns back to the doctor.  
  
"How long do you need her for?" she asks.  
  
"The tests are going to take at least a few hours," Dr. Wells tells Sydney, "I'd say she'll be gone most of the day."  
  
Sydney nods, "She might get fussy if she gets tired, just come find me if she does." Sydney looks at Vaughn briefly. "I'll be meeting with Agent Vaughn, I have my cell."  
  
Jonathan nods and turns to exit the room. Weiss gives Sydney and Vaughn one last glance before he and Delilah move to follow. "Say by to mommy," Weiss tells the little girl, waving to show her what he means. Delilah waves enthusiastically at her mother, laughing. Sydney smiles and waves back at her, her eyes following her daughter until she and Weiss have disappeared from sight. Then, she turns back to face Vaughn.  
  
"We need to talk," she tells him, stating the very obvious.  
  
"Why did Weiss tell her to call you mommy?" Vaughn's tone is cool and even, Sydney can tell he's beginning to get frustrated.  
  
"I'll explain everything," Sydney promises as she gathers up her jacket and quickly checks the pockets. "Can we go outside and talk? I haven't had fresh air in 24 hours."  
  
Vaughn merely nods. Together, they silently walk quickly through the floor of the ops centre, headed for the stairs. Sunlight greets then warmly as Sydney pushes open the door to the roof, stepping out into the warmth and taking a deep lungful of fresh air.  
  
The silence continues for a minute as Sydney finds a comfortable place to lean, her face watching the traffic below. Vaughn stands behind her, a slight distance away, waiting expectantly. Finally, Sydney turns to face him and begins.  
  
"Yesterday morning, Agent Noll came and told me that there was a walk in for me. Imagine my surprise when instead of some international operative willing to sell his secrets, I was faced with a toddler asleep in a stroller. She'd been left in the lobby, by whom we still don't know, with this letter."  
  
Sydney reaches into her pocket and pulls out the note, handing it to Vaughn. He takes it wordlessly and reads it quickly, his blank facial expression faltering as confusion and surprise quickly register. Sydney decides not to give him a chance to respond, and instead continues to explain.  
  
"After some discussion, my father and Dixon decided to send her to medical services to make sure she wasn't a plant of some kind, to check her over for bugs or other devices," Sydney decides to skip over the part about Delilah recognizing her, not wanting to confuse matters even more just yet. "They did X-rays, took blood tests. And then they asked me to stay with her in the lock up until some results came back."  
  
Sydney turns away again, her breath coming a little faster than she'd like. She pauses for a moment to try to calm herself; this next part is going to be hard to explain. "After a few hours, Jonathan came to see me. He had some of her results back, and they weren't what he'd expected." Sydney turns back to face Vaughn, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Vaughn is still standing in the same place, his expression mostly unreadable. But despite his cool exterior, Sydney can tell by the way he is breathing and the way his jugular is pulsing that he is scared. Scared of what she has to tell him, scared of what it might mean to him, to her, to them.  
  
She knows this because that's exactly how she is feeling. There was a time, up until that moment she'd seen his wedding ring in Hong Kong, that the news that she and Vaughn were to have a baby would have made her the happiest person on earth. But now, it also makes her sadder then she could ever have thought she could be. Because they can never have the experience with their child that she had imagined they might have one day. Because he's married to someone else, and all she can ever be to him is his ex- lover, the mother of his part-time child.  
  
Lauren is going to hit the roof she thinks briefly before turning her mind back to the topic at hand.  
  
Sydney realizes she's been silent for a long time, and clears her throat. "Here's the test results," she explains, handing Vaughn another piece of paper from her jacket pocket.  
  
Sydney holds her breath as Vaughn slowly unfolds the document, his eyes fixed on her. Finally, his turns his gaze to the words before him and reads.  
  
As the words hit home, Vaughn's expression travels the full spectrum of emotions that Sydney has been dealing with since she read the results herself. In a moment he goes from surprise, to confusion, through fear and finally settles on a combination of anger and denial.  
  
"This can't be right," he stammers, tears brimming in his eyes. Sydney watches him, feeling useless, her own tears spilling freely down her cheeks. She wants nothing more than to reach over and wrap her arms around him, to comfort him the way he comforted her so many times before. To soothe his fears and explain everything so they could work through it together.  
  
But she can't do that anymore, and the ache is almost enough to kill her.  
  
"The final results won't be available until Monday," Sydney tells him. "But there is other evidence that makes me inclined to believe these preliminary findings."  
  
Vaughn looks up at her with wet eyes. "She called you Maman; she recognized you." The sentence is more of a statement than a question. Sydney nods, sniffling a little. "You think you've been with her this whole time, the two years you were gone?" Again, Sydney merely nods, her voice failing her as she silently continues to cry. Vaughn sighs, turning away from her as he runs one hand across his face and through his hair. Sydney ignores the tugging of her heart and suppresses the urge to move over and comfort him.  
  
"How old is she?" Vaughn asks without turning around.  
  
"We don't know for sure, but Jonathan said that from her X rays she's probably about 17 or 18 months old."  
  
"So you were pregnant when you disappeared." Once again, Vaughn merely states the fact rather than asking a question.  
  
"I must have been," Sydney replies. "But believe me when I tell you that I didn't know. If I had known, I would have told you." Vaughn doesn't move or turn around. Sydney walks quickly over the distance between them and places a hand on his shoulder, turning him around to face her. His tears are falling freely now, his eyes green pools of hurt and sadness. "Vaughn," her voice has an almost pleading tone to it. "I didn't know, I swear to you."  
  
"Are you sure?" Vaughn asks, the hurt finally coming through in his voice.  
  
Sydney can feel the sadness coming off his in waves, "I'm sure. If I'd known, I would have told you."  
  
Vaughn nods, biting his lip to try and stop the tears falling. They stand there, facing each other, not speaking, the tears falling freely down both of their faces.  
  
"I can't believe I have a daughter I don't know," Vaughn breaks the silence. "I can't begin to think about how much I've missed."  
  
"I know, it's killing me to. What's worse is that I was probably there for most of her life, and I can't remember it, or her. I mean, you'd think I would at least remember childbirth, I doubt it's something one would forget very easily." Sydney pauses, watching Vaughn's face. She sees a slight smile forming in one corner of his mouth. "What annoys me," she continues, determined to lighten the mood, "I didn't get the chance to break your hand or call you names or blame you for putting me in that position."  
  
Vaughn's smile widens and he laughs slightly, his expression brightening. "What are we going to do?" he asks her, his tone soft and serious, but still friendly.  
  
"Let's wait and see what happens first. Take this one step at a time."  
  
"Ok," Vaughn nods in agreement.  
  
"I'd better go back down, rescue Weiss," Sydney tells him as she dries her eyes and wipes her face with her sleeve.  
  
"Can I come?" Vaughn asks, causing Sydney to stop and look at him for a moment. She smiles at him.  
  
"Of course you can."  
  
Sydney can hear Delilah's screams from the end of the hallway and she quickens her pace, Vaughn close behind her. They enter the lab to find a very flustered Weiss trying desperately to calm a screaming Delilah.  
  
"What's going on," Sydney asks, crossing the room. She reaches out her arms to Delilah who goes willingly, burying her head into her mother's shoulder. "Maman, aïe." Delilah reports her hurt between sobs as Sydney cuddles her close. Sydney looks once again at Weiss.  
  
"She banged her head, that's all," he explains quickly. "We were playing with the ball whiles we waiting for Dr Wells to come back and take us for her MRI and she tripped over her shoelace and hit her head on the chair." Weiss shows her the offending chair. "It was an accident," Weiss explains with great emphasis, "I swear."  
  
"Eric, aïe," Delilah lifts her wet face from Sydney shoulder and turns to Weiss, giving her own view of the incident. For a moment, the room is silent, then Sydney and Weiss begin to laugh.  
  
Delilah wiggles around in Sydney's arms, turning her attention to the stranger in the room. She studies Vaughn for a moment, her gaze intense and determined. "Hi," she finally says, uttering the first English word Sydney has heard since her arrival.  
  
Vaughn reaches out a hand to touch her face, waiting for her to scream. When she doesn't he gently places his hand on her head, stroking her soft brown hair. "Hi," he replies, the smile on his face bright enough to light up the room.  
  
Sydney watches as Weiss quietly tiptoes out of the room then turns her focus back to Vaughn and her daughter.  
  
"Do you want to hold her?" Sydney asks Vaughn, breaking his gaze from Delilah.  
  
"Will she go to me?"  
  
Sydney nods, "I think so." She lifts Delilah from her arms and offers her to Vaughn. There is a tense moment when Vaughn panics, not sure of how to approach the child, but finally he takes her carefully, setting her into one arm.  
  
Sydney watches as the two of them stare intently at each other. Delilah reaches up and places one tiny hand on his cheek, the other on his nose. "Nez," she says gently.  
  
"She's speaking French?" Vaughn asks, smiling, his voice amused and surprised all at once.  
  
"Yeah, it's all she speaks." Sydney explains quietly, not wanting to disturb the two of them.  
  
Vaughn reaches up his spare hand and gently runs his index finger over her little face, finally settling on her own nose. "Nez," he tells her, tweaking it slightly. Delilah giggles heartily causing Vaughn to smile. "Delilah," he tells her gently, using her name for the first time. "Je suis votre papa." He leans over and kisses her hair, snuggling her body close. Sydney feels the tears brimming in her eyes once again as she watches Vaughn with their daughter.  
  
And for the first time since her return, she thinks that maybe her life might be ok after all. 


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: OK, probably 6 parts now. Each part is longer than I expected!  
  
Dedicated: To Laura and Nadine, my fellow OzGirls for 2003. 2004: Brisbane is only 10 months away!  
  
Disclaimer: Delilah's mine, no one else is!  
  
Eric Weiss stands in the empty corridor, watching the scene through the window in the door. Inside the small room, the family of sorts is bonding. He watches in fascination as Vaughn clings to the child in his arms, seemingly afraid to let her go for fear of losing her. Anyone can see the instant connection that has formed between father and daughter, as Weiss had hoped it would. He knew he was taking a gamble by calling Mike against Sydney's wishes, but now he can see that he most definitely did the right thing.  
  
"Is everything ok?" a voice from behind Eric asks. He turns to see Dr Wells coming down the hallway, obviously ready to take Delilah for her last few tests. "Yeah, it's fine. I'm just giving them some time alone." Eric indicates the window and the scene unfolding inside.  
  
Jonathan stops for a moment to watch Sydney, Vaughn and Delilah, a small smile coming involuntarily to his lips. "It's an amazing situation these two are in, I'll say that," he muses.  
  
"It certainly is." There is a pause during which Eric glances quickly from the view to the doctor. "Don't you need to take her for a test or something?" he asks, indicating Delilah.  
  
Jonathan nods. "Yeah, but I can wait a few minutes."  
  
The two men continue to stand in silence, watching the scene before them.  
  
Inside the room, Sydney too is playing observer as she watches Vaughn bonding with their daughter. For several minutes they've been giggling together in French, Vaughn's eyes bright enough to light up an entire city block. Sydney can see Jonathan and Eric in the hall, but doesn't want yet to acknowledge their presence for fear they will disturb Vaughn and Delilah.  
  
"God, Sydney, she looks like you," Sydney turns to the awed tone of Vaughn's voice. He's staring at Delilah's face, which is in turn staring at a piece of lint in one hand.  
  
"Yeah, she does a little," Sydney agrees, her voice quiet.  
  
"More than a little," Vaughn's voice is slightly dreamlike and almost wistful. "She's beautiful, just like you."  
  
Unsure of how to respond to such a compliment anymore, Sydney chooses instead to turn to the doorway and make eye contact with Eric. He nods in understanding and a moment later Dr Wells and Eric enter the room.  
  
"I need to take Delilah one last time," Jonathan explains, holding out his arms towards the child in Vaughn's arms. Delilah gazes up at him for a moment before turning her head and burying her face in Vaughn's neck. Vaughn looks startled and touched all at the same time, his face turning down to look at his daughter, tears beginning to glisten in the corners of his eyes. Jonathan watches this for a moment before speaking again. "Why don't you come with her, make it more comfortable for her."  
  
"Can't we both go?" Sydney asks.  
  
"Um, no," three heads turn to Eric. "I need to take you with me, we have a lead on who bought Delilah here yesterday. You need to come and meet with Dixon and your father." He smiles apologetically at Sydney who nods in understanding.  
  
"Ms. Bristow," Jonathan speaks up. "I just wanted to let you know that from a medical view, Delilah will likely be able to go home tonight. I won't need to keep her anymore."  
  
Vaughn and Sydney's gazes move in unison to stare at the doctor then at each other before turning back to Jonathan again.  
  
"I can take her home?" The question is shaky with a hint of excitement behind it.  
  
"Medically she's clear, but she won't be released until Agent Bristow or Dixon approves her release." Jonathan's gaze softens. "You need to talk to them."  
  
Sydney nods, determined. "I will." She turns to Vaughn. "Will you be ok with her?"  
  
For a long moment their eyes meet, a silent conversation no one else can understand taking place. "I'll be fine," Vaughn finally tells her.  
  
Sydney gives Delilah one quick kiss on the head and then follows Eric through the corridors to the conference room where they are waiting for her. She smiles as she takes a seat next to Marshall, glancing quickly at her father opposite. After a moment of semi-awkward silence, Dixon clears his throat and begins.  
  
"We have an ID on the woman that left the child here yesterday," he tells them, aiming the remote at the screen before him. The same captured image Sydney saw yesterday fills the screen, then with the press of a button it changes to a posed image of a young woman in her late teens. "This is Kimberley Anderson. She was intercepted this morning at Heathrow after disembarking from a plane from New York City. She is currently in CIA custody and will be returned to LA by tomorrow night for questioning."  
  
"Has she said anything yet?" Sydney asks, curious.  
  
Jack shakes his head, and leans forward to speak. "Nothing of value, she claims to have no idea why she's been arrested. We're waiting until she's here to question her properly."  
  
"So what do I do until then?" Sydney asks, causing the room's occupants to turn to look at her, curiously. "Dr. Wells told me that he's prepared to let Delilah go this afternoon," she explains. "I am hoping that, with your permission of course, I can take her home."  
  
The silence is deafening. For a long minute, no one in the room reacts, then Jack speaks first.  
  
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Sydney. We still don't know who bought the child here, or who might be after it."  
  
Sydney rolls her eyes internally at her father's use of impersonal pronouns. "Dad, I know that, believe me I'm worried about her safety too. But Delilah is in the same position as I was a few weeks ago," Sydney argues, placing great emphasis on her daughter's name. "There is already a 24 hour surveillance team watching my new place, she'll be as protected as I am. Even better, because she'll have me there with her."  
  
"Plus, my apartment is only across the hall," heads turn to face Eric, who has been uncharacteristically silent until now. "If anything happens to either of them, I'll know about it."  
  
Jack's hardened gaze moves from Sydney to Weiss and back to Sydney again. "It's not up to me," he finally says. "Dixon is in charge of this investigation, he makes the call."  
  
Sydney turns her gaze to her old friend, her eyes silently pleading with him. Dixon meets her gaze and the two have a conversation of sorts, the understanding between the old friends undeniable. "I need to think about this for a few hours," Dixon finally says. "I'll let you know in a while." His eyes tell Sydney that he understands how much she already loves her little girl, but that he's also in the position of protecting his agents at all costs. Sydney smiles and releases the breath she didn't realize she was holding.  
  
"Thank you, Dixon."  
  
Dixon merely nods in response then turns back to the rest of the team. "Well, there's not much more we can do today. As soon as I know when Ms Anderson will be in our custody, I'll let everyone know. Until then, dismissed."  
  
The bodies around the tables stand and gather their belongings, preparing to leave. Sydney catches her father's eye as he turns to go and tries to engage him in conversation, but he looks away and continues out the door. Sydney sighs, trying not to be hurt or frustrated, then makes her own way out, headed to medical services and Delilah.  
  
She finds her daughter sleeping soundly through her MRI, with Vaughn and Dr Wells watching her carefully from behind the glass protective shield. "Hey, how's she going?" she asks, causing both men to turn, startled.  
  
"She's asleep," Vaughn explains. "How was the meeting, any news?"  
  
Sydney nods, "They found the woman who bought her here, she's being extradited from London as we speak."  
  
"She said anything yet?"  
  
"No, nothing. They're waiting until she's in our custody before they question her properly."  
  
Silence descends between them for a moment as they turn to watch Delilah's sleeping form. "Dixon is currently deciding whether or not I can take her home tonight."  
  
Vaughn turns to her, his eyes alight. "You think he's going to say yes?"  
  
"Maybe, I hope so," A pause. "My father seemed pretty determined to talk me out of taking her home, I don't know why."  
  
"Maybe he's just trying to protect you," Vaughn suggests. "He's only just gotten you back, he's probably worried that something might happen to you; that having Delilah in your custody might somehow cause your life to be in danger."  
  
"You speak as if you know how he's feeling," Sydney tells him with a smile.  
  
"I think I do," he tells her wistfully. She doesn't respond.  
  
They sit in silence for as Delilah continues to sleep through her test. After 25 minutes, Jonathan tells them he's done and that Delilah can go back to her room until the results come through. With a little effort, Sydney manages to keep her daughter asleep as she settles the girl in her arms, and together the little family of sorts makes their way back to Delilah's cell, no one speaking.  
  
Vaughn watches with a smile as Sydney lays Delilah down on the small bed and gently covers her up with a light blanket. She stands up and turns to face him, looking curiously at his expression. "What?" she asks him.  
  
"It's nothing, I was just surprised that you're so good at this."  
  
"At what?" Sydney asks, moving across the room to tidy up the scattered mess they left earlier that morning.  
  
"At this," he explains, gesturing towards Delilah. "You seem to know exactly what to do with her."  
  
Sydney glances back at Vaughn and laughs. "It's no special skill, Vaughn. Just instinct and a lot of babysitting experience. You'll see, it comes pretty naturally."  
  
"I hope I get a chance to find out."  
  
Their eyes lock, for a moment, the unasked questions both of them have being asked and answered without the need for speaking. "You will."  
  
Vaughn smiles slightly, "Good."  
  
They both turn away, Sydney to resume her tidying, Vaughn to move and sit next to Delilah, until the noise of the cell gates opening attracts their attention. A moment later, Dixon approaches the door to the cell and enters.  
  
"I'm glad you're both here," he says. "I want to talk to the both of you about this.situation," he explains, nodding his head in the direction of Delilah. He waits to see if either Sydney or Vaughn objects, and when they don't, he continues. "I understand your desire, Sydney, to take your daughter home with you. But at the same time, I am also aware of the risks associated with that. We don't know who bought her here, or who had her or whether or not they might be planning to come back for her."  
  
"I know the risks, Dixon, I do. But I don't want her treated like a prisoner, which is what will happen if we keep her here," Sydney argues. "I already have surveillance around the clock, I've got Eric next door, we'll be as safe as we can be. Besides," she crosses her arms, trying to look determined. "I'm not prepared to leave her alone here, so unless you want one of your best agents to move into the holding cells." Sydney trails off, hoping her vague threats are persuasive.  
  
Dixon fixes her with a withering glance, clearly indicating her attempts at threats are useless with him. "I've thought about it," he begins. "And I think that it would be in the best interests of Delilah for her to be at home with you."  
  
Sydney feels her heart leap, and she has to force herself not to betray her cool exterior by jumping up and down with glee. Dixon however can see her joy and quickly continues. "However, my one stipulation for you taking her home is that it doesn't affect your workload. We're going to need you to help us investigate this case just as we would any other case. And so my question is, what do you plan to do with her during the day?"  
  
"I'll take care of her," Sydney and Dixon turn to Vaughn, identical looks of pure shock on their faces. Vaughn, to his credit, pretends not to notice their surprise.  
  
"What about your own job, Mr Vaughn?" Dixon asks after he finds his voice.  
  
"I teach in the private sector, classes finished last week," he explains. "I have some paperwork to do, but nothing I can't do from home. Or I could take her with me, there's no students left in the school."  
  
Sydney steps slowly over towards Vaughn. "Are you sure? She's gonna be a bit of a handful. Don't think you have to do this."  
  
"I'm not," Vaughn assures her. "I'm doing this because I want to. She's my daughter, Sydney. I've already missed 18 months of her life, I don't want to miss any more."  
  
"You won't," she promises him. "I won't let you."  
  
"Well, I guess that's settled then," Dixon says, as they both turn to him. "As soon as Dr. Wells clears her medically, you can take her home. We anticipate that Ms Anderson will be bought here around 1800 hours tomorrow night, but at my orders we will hold off questioning her until you can be here on Monday morning." Sydney looks at Dixon with a mixture of shock and gratitude, unsure of the reasons for his uncharacteristic generosity. "I thought you might like at least one uninterrupted day with her, help you get settled."  
  
Sydney smiles as she moves forward to hug her old friend. "Thank you, Dixon." Her boss hugs her back, awkwardly, before bidding them both goodbye and turning to leave.  
  
Sydney turns to Vaughn, the smile on her face huge and bright. "I get to take her home," she tells him excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, you do," he smiles softly at her, then glances down at their sleeping daughter. "I need to go organize some things for Monday so that I can stay home with her, but if it's ok with you I'd like to come back before you go."  
  
"That'd be great, we can work out the logistics of it all then." On an impulse, Sydney closes the small gap between them and reaches up and kisses Vaughn's cheek, gently. "Thank you, for everything," Her words refer to so many things, but Vaughn knows exactly what she's saying to him.  
  
"I'd do anything for you," he tells her softly as he turns to leave, stopping briefly to give Delilah's sleeping head a gentle kiss.  
  
Three hours later, Delilah awake and restless in her arms, Sydney happily signs the medical release papers for her daughter, and wanders the corridors of the Ops centre in search of Weiss. She finds him at his desk, staring blankly at the computer screen before him, clearly a thousand miles away.  
  
"Eric!" Delilah shouts as they get close, her hands reaching out to tug on the small amount of hair he has.  
  
"Ow, Delilah!" Weiss reaches up and gently detangles her fingers, reaching over to take the girl into his own arms. "Little less enthusiastic on the greeting, if you please."  
  
"She's excited to be out of her cell, I think," Sydney explains apologetically.  
  
"So I assume Dixon is letting her go home," Weiss asks as he offers Delilah one of the many brightly coloured toys that live on his desk.  
  
"Letting us go home," Sydney corrects him. "And yes, you would be right." She pauses for a moment before continuing. "Vaughn's offered to care for her during the days when I'm here."  
  
Weiss gives her a curious look, but can't help smiling at the same time. "So you're not going to kill me for calling him, then?"  
  
Sydney smiles as she shakes her head, "No, not today. I'm still not happy about it though, but that admonishment can wait until another day."  
  
"Good to know," Weiss comments, turning his attention back to pulling faces at Delilah. Sydney watches them for a minute before her attention is drawn by someone calling her name. She looks up to see Vaughn crossing the room towards them, a rather large boxed item balanced in his arms.  
  
"Sorry I took so long, I had to find a store that was still open so I could get you this," he explains as he places the box down before her. Sydney turns it around until she finds the label. A car seat. "I realized you couldn't take her home without one," he tells her.  
  
Sydney looks at the gift before her for a moment, her eyes threatening to tear up. She takes a moment to compose herself before straightening up to face Vaughn. "Thank you," she manages to say, softly.  
  
"I thought I'd come and pick her up about 8 o'clock on Monday, is that ok?" Sydney nods, not positive she'll be able to form a coherent sentence. "Save you having to traipse across town to my place before work."  
  
"That sounds fine," she manages to tell him, still processing his amazing acceptance of their new situation.  
  
"Papa," Delilah's little voice interrupts their conversation as they turn to see her reaching up towards Vaughn. He smiles is almost blinding as he reaches his arms down and collects her, swinging her up through the air to make her giggle.  
  
"One last kiss, my girl," he tells her as he settles her in close. "And then maman's gonna take you home." Delilah puckers her little mouth and screws up her nose, blowing bubbles at him. Vaughn laughs and snuggles her in roughly, pelting her face with kisses.  
  
Sydney watches the scene, the tears that were threatening to fall earlier now gliding silently and unabashedly down her cheeks. Vaughn gives Delilah one last kiss on her forehead then hands her over to Sydney. "It's getting late, you'd better get her home," he tells her with a smile. "I'll see you on Monday morning."  
  
"Ok," Sydney merely nods. "Thank you for the car seat."  
  
Vaughn waves away her gratitude with another brilliant smile. A smile she had missed so much until today. "Don't mention it." And with that he turns and walks towards the exit.  
  
Sydney stands watching his retreating form, one hand wiping quickly at her moist cheeks.  
  
"Well," Weiss comments from behind her, causing her to turn to him. "This is going to be interesting."  
  
'Yes', thinks Sydney. 'Indeed it will.' 


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: This fic just keeps getting longer and longer!  
  
This is dedicated to jujubinha for giving the Best. Feedback. Ever. and RocknVaughn for writing The Test, my new Best. Fic. Ever.  
  
Muse-ic: Jet, Lucy Woodward, Natalie Merchant and Aretha Franklin.  
  
The small room is bathed in the soft yellow glow of the night light; the corners of objects blurred, the shadows soft and almost inviting. The cheerful clock, newly hung in the southern wall, reads 11:25pm. The first beams of moonlight are beginning to peek through the gaps in the curtains as Sunday night creeps onwards and onwards.  
  
In the solid, dark crib that now resides in the centre of the room sleeps Delilah Bristow; one pink pyjama clad leg thrown out from under the soft yellow quilt. Clutched tightly in her hand is her toy dog, several new teddies and other animals sit at the foot of the bed.  
  
On the east wall of the room, near the window, in a glider that matches the crib sits her mother, silent. Her gaze is fixed on the sleeping face before her, just as it has been on several occasions these past three days. She's been sitting her for the better part of half an hour, far less than last night when Delilah had been in her bed with her. Watching Delilah sleeping has become almost a hobby.  
  
After the whirlwind weekend she's just endured, Sydney also has to admit that it feels wonderful just to sit at all, to be off of her feet.. They spent most of the day out shopping, Sydney having way too much fun racking up rather large credit card charges as she chose furniture and clothes and toys and other things that she felt Delilah just needed to have. Once home, Sydney had called upon Weiss to help her set up the room she now sits in.  
  
After a messy dinner, a bath, and three stories, Delilah had finally flaked, her small body fighting sleep despite the fact that she must be absolutely exhausted. As soon as she was asleep, Sydney had finally been able to organize her own life in preparation for work the next day, the first and most important task of which was laundry. Currently, she's waiting for the third load to hurry up and finish so she can load it into the dryer and finally take her tired self off to bed.  
  
Sydney moves her gaze around the room once again, admiring the changes that have taken place. Just 24 hours previous, this room was nothing more than a glorified storage area that happened to house her computer equipment. Now, it is something far more important.  
  
Delilah's room.  
  
Sydney decided upon a lemon yellow Classic Pooh theme for all of Delilah's nursery furniture and furnishings. The soft colour scheme fits in perfectly with the neutral coloured walls, and the longer she sits and admires the room the more comfortable she feels in it. Also, the more tired she realizes she is.  
  
Her eyes are starting to droop when the phone suddenly rings, jarring her from the edges of sleep. Sydney takes a moment to clear her slightly foggy brain before hurrying in the direction of the ringing.  
  
"Hello?" she asks as she presses the answer button, unsure of whom to expect on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Hi, I didn't wake you, did I?" Sydney's eyes fly properly open, awake and alert.  
  
"No, Vaughn, of course not," she stammers out. "Is there anything wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing wrong," he says vaguely. "I just wanted to call and check on Delilah. And to make sure we're still organized for tomorrow."  
  
"She's fine, she's asleep in her new bed. Are you sure you're still ok to look after her tomorrow?"  
  
"Definitely," Vaughn's tone is firm and almost happy. "I'm looking forward to it."  
  
"You are?" Sydney can't hide the surprise in her voice. She's still not quite used to Vaughn's enthusiasm when it comes to Delilah.  
  
"Yeah, I am." There is a pause in the conversation. "I assume you took her shopping, if she has a new bed." Vaughn changes the topic.  
  
"Yeah, we shopped a little," Sydney tells him with a slight grin. "It's been a long day, I'm looking forward to getting some sleep."  
  
"Yeah, I know that feeling." Vaughn trails off and clears his throat. "Um, about tomorrow," he begins. "I was thinking I might bring Delilah to the Ops centre to drop her off, instead of back to your place."  
  
"Yeah, that's fine," Sydney tells him, confused. "Any particular reason?"  
  
"Um, yeah, kinda actually," Vaughn doesn't elaborate and Sydney waits for him to continue.  
  
"Do I get to know the reason?"  
  
"Lauren's coming home," he finally tells her. "She called me about an hour ago,"  
  
For a moment, Sydney is frozen, unable to form an answer. Whilst she has spent a lot of time in the past few days thinking about Vaughn and his relationship with their daughter, somehow she has managed not to think about how Lauren will factor into this equation. In fact, she hasn't even noticed that she hasn't been around.  
  
"Home from where?" Sydney asks finally, electing to begin the conversation on the least dangerous aspect of the topic. "I thought you were both supposed to be away somewhere this weekend."  
  
"We were, but Lauren's mother fell on Friday and broke her hip. Lauren flew out to be with her, but she's coming back tomorrow afternoon,"  
  
"And she's coming back to work?" Sydney asks, feeling a little worried but trying not to show it.  
  
"She has to be back for a meeting of some kind at 4:30. I thought it might be a good way to explain everything to her if you're there as well."  
  
Oh I'm not so sure about that, Sydney thinks but doesn't say. "I assume you haven't told her about Delilah, then?"  
  
"No, I haven't," there is a sigh and a pause as Sydney waits to see if Vaughn is planning to continue. "I tried to tell her," he finally says. "But I just didn't know where to begin."  
  
"And you think that telling her in person will be easier?" She hopes her doubt isn't very evident in her tone.  
  
"I'm hoping that once she lays her eyes on Delilah, she'll find her too adorable to get mad at me," Sydney can detect a hint of a smile on Vaughn's voice and after a moment laughs. "I was being serious!" he protests. "Well, semi-serious anyway."  
  
"She is pretty cute," Sydney agrees, still smiling. "I doubt there are many that are going to be able to resist her smile,"  
  
"Well, I know I can't." Vaughn says.  
  
"Me neither. I've known her three days, and already she has me completely besotted with her."  
  
"Me too," Vaughn tells her softly. There is a pause, neither of them sure how to continue. "Look, I'd better go and let you get some rest," Vaughn breaks the awkward silence. "I'll see you in the morning at 8."  
  
"Ok, see you then," a pause. "Goodnight Vaughn."  
  
"Goodnight Sydney. Give my girl a kiss for me."  
  
"Will do." They both hang up.  
  
Sydney stands in the kitchen for a long minute, the phone held in her hands, her mind processing the conversation that just transpired. After a minute of useless attempts at analysis, she sighs and places the phone back in its cradle, heading for the laundry room.  
  
She pulls all of Delilah's newly washed clothing out of the machine, shaking them out to avoid wrinkles. As she places them into the dryer, she notices for the second time just how many items of clothing from Delilah's diaper bag have her name embroidered on them. Even two of her pairs of socks have neat little letters on the anklets. However, it is not a phenomenon she is particularly worried about, as most of the items are likely going to be too small in a matter of weeks, anyway.  
  
After loading the dryer and setting it on its cycle, Sydney finally changes into her pyjamas and quickly ducks into Delilah's room to check on her one last time before bed. She gently recovers her daughter's far flung limbs before reaching down to kiss her soft cheek. "One from me, baby," she says very softly before kissing her again. "And one from your daddy."  
  
Sydney straightens up and heads for her bedroom, her body screaming out for bed. She tumbles under her blankets and closes her eyes, but finds a thousand thoughts racing in her mind, preventing her from sleep. Between everything that's happened in the last 3 days, and all the things she has to face tomorrow, her head is a jumble of fears and confusion. Finally, she manages to drift off to sleep, her last thought one of a cross between fear and amusement.  
  
Lauren is not going to be happy.  
  
The next morning doesn't start well as Sydney and Delilah both sleep through the alarm clock. Sydney hurriedly changes Delilah ready for the day then places her in the kitchen with a selection of Tupperware to play with whilst she gets herself ready. She's half dressed with her toothbrush hanging from her mouth when the doorbell rings. She quickly shrugs her jacket on, rinses her mouth and hurries to the door. She opens it to reveal Vaughn, looking annoyingly fresh and organized.  
  
"Hey," she says quickly, ushering him inside. "I'm running a little late, sorry."  
  
"That's ok," Vaughn tells her, closing the door behind him and heading in the direction of Delilah's squealing. "Is she ready?"  
  
"Yeah, she is. I just need a minute" Sydney quickly ducks into her room and gathers up her bag and shoes, tossing her hairbrush into her handbag to use properly on the way to work. She then picks up Delilah's newly packed diaper bag and comes out into the kitchen.  
  
Vaughn is kneeling on the floor with Delilah, helping her to put the plastic containers back in the cupboard. Sydney watches for a moment, smiling in voluntarily at the happiness she sees on Vaughn's face.  
  
"We'd better go," she tells him, reluctantly breaking the moment. Vaughn straightens up, lifting Delilah into his arms as he does.  
  
"I talked to Lauren again this morning." Sydney tries not to react as she hands him Delilah's bag to sling over his shoulder. "I'm meeting her at 4, so I thought I'd leave Delilah with you about quarter to, is that ok?"  
  
Sydney nods her acceptance. "There are two changes of clothes in the bag, just in case, and I think there's enough of everything else for you," she artfully changes the topic, wanting this conversation to be over as soon as possible so she can try to not think about it. There are already enough troubling issues waiting for her at work.  
  
In silence, they make their way out of the door and out to where Sydney's car is parked. "Let me just get the car seat for you," she tells Vaughn as she unlocks her car.  
  
"No need," Sydney looks up at him curiously. "I figured since I'm going to have her with me a lot, it was easier just to get one myself, so I did."  
  
"Oh, ok. That's a good idea, I guess. I'll just grab her stroller, then." Not a word is said as Sydney opens the back of her SUV and pulls out the folded stroller, wheeling it to lean against the truck of Vaughn's car.  
  
"Thanks," Vaughn tells her. "You'd better get going," he suggests gently causing Sydney to look at her watch and discover she is still running late.  
  
"Damn, yeah I need to go." Sydney tosses her bag into the passenger side of her car before moving over to Vaughn and reaching out for her daughter. "You be a good girl, ok?" she instructs as she hugs and kisses Delilah. "Try not to let her sleep too much, it makes it hard to get her to sleep at night."  
  
"Ok, I won't," Vaughn watches as Sydney gives Delilah one last kiss then accepts her back into his arms. "Say bye Maman," he tells Delilah.  
  
"Maman!" she squeals, not quite verbalizing the 'bye' part yet. Still, its enough to make Sydney smile as she climbs in her car and turns it on. As she backs down the driveway she can see Vaughn out of the corner of her eye, leaning into his car, strapping Delilah into her new car seat. As she waits for a break in the traffic, she can't help but watch him, certain that she hasn't seen him look so carefree and happy in a very long time.  
  
She walks into the ops centre half an hour late and is immediately hunted down by Weiss.  
  
"Dixon wants to see us, and I was wondering - "  
  
Cutting him off to ask for a moment to put her bag down, Sydney makes him wait by her desk as she organizes herself. Then, she turns to him, ready to listen.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"How did you go this morning?"  
  
Sydney gives him a withering glance. "It went fine. Now I think we have more important things to talk about today." Sydney hangs her jacket on the back of her chair and walks off towards Dixon's office.  
  
"Maybe you do," Weiss says, hustling to keep up with her. "But to me, this is the most important gossip there is."  
  
"Weiss," Sydney says in an exasperated tone, stopping and turning to face him. "It's really complicated, ok? I've gone from having no idea of anything a week ago to suddenly having a daughter I can't remember, a possible link to my missing time and a newly very awkward situation with a man I am still desperately in love with, who is married to someone I can't stand and who can't stand me and who is about 8 hours away from having complete knowledge of our child and therefore even more reason to hate me and make my life miserable! So if you excuse me, I just want to deal with one issue at a time, and for now that issue is Kimberly Anderson. Is that ok" Sydney pauses to take a breath and allow Eric to respond. For a moment neither of them moves, then Weiss closes the gap between them, wrapping his arms around Sydney in a friendly embrace.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Syd. I forgot how much you have wrapped up in this situation. Forgive me for being rudely inquisitive?"  
  
"You weren't being rude," Sydney assures him, taking comfort in her friend. "I just really don't have enough brain power to deal with all this at once. One issue at a time is all I can handle."  
  
Weiss pulls back from their hug and places his hands on Sydney's forearms, forcing her to look him in the eye. "One thing at a time." He assures her. She smiles at him, and together they finish walking to Dixon's office.  
  
Dixon waves them in quickly, looking harried already despite the fact it's barely 9:30am.  
  
"Sydney, I've decided I want Weiss to question Ms. Anderson for us," he begins without ceremony, holding up a hand when Sydney opens her mouth to protest. "It's nothing personal against your skills as an agent, it's just that this woman is terrified of why she's here, and extremely vulnerable. I'm just concerned you're too personally involved in this case and that you might.scare her." Dixon trails off, not certain he's chosen the right word.  
  
"Scare her?" Sydney asks incredulously, mildly insulted and not afraid to show it.  
  
"Not intentionally, Sydney. But I know what instincts our children can bring out in us," Dixon pauses to look Sydney in the eyes, trying to show her he just wants to do what's best for everyone. "I don't think we're going to have any trouble getting her story from her. Let Weiss do the questioning, we'll still get the answers."  
  
There is a minute of silence as Sydney and Dixon stare each other down, before finally Sydney tosses her arms to her sides and sighs. "Fine, I understand. What do you want me to do, then?"  
  
"Observe the interrogation, in case anything she tells us is familiar to you. Take notes, on everything she says."  
  
Sydney nods, "I can do that. When do we begin?"  
  
Dixon glances at his watch. "Now."  
  
Almost four hours later, Sydney approaches the door of the interrogation room slowly, watching the woman inside carefully as she does. Up close, Kimberley Anderson looks far younger than her 21 years, the tears streaming down her face probably not helping the situation. As per Dixon's instructions when she arrived that morning, she has not been present during the interrogation as yet. Instead, Weiss has been the one to ask the questions of the woman who delivered Delilah to their door.  
  
As Dixon predicted, her story was easy to get out of her. However, it was not the Pandora's Box of answers they had been hoping for. Instead, it appeared this woman was merely nothing more than a pawn in someone's much larger game of chess.  
  
Kimberley Anderson, it has been revealed, is a nanny in London and other parts of England. Irish by birth, she had moved to London two years ago to work with the hopes of eventually going to university. She has been working with a Au Pair agency in central London after her last permanent position ended in March, and it was through this agency that she met Delilah.  
  
It seems that whilst working for the agency, she presented herself to the door of a suite at the Ritz, seemingly to help take care of a visiting diplomat's infant daughter. Instead, she was offered a one time job that would mean she could leave her job and fulfil her dreams of University and the career as a teacher she'd wanted her whole life.  
  
$50,000 for three days work, who could pass up an offer like that? Ms Anderson was told that Delilah was the woman's stepdaughter, and that she had been wrongfully taken from her real mother. The woman wove a fantastic tale of trans-Atlantic custody battles, and confided in the young au pair that the only way for the child to get back to her mother without losing the rest of her family was if she was delivered in secret. Kimberley's heart was touched by the small girl, and she agreed immediately.  
  
A week later, she's met her employer at Heathrow, accepted custody of Delilah and was given a first class plane ticket and instructions on where to take Delilah. No, she didn't realize the lobby where she left her related to the CIA, and Joint Task Force building had no signs or identification visible to the public. No, she didn't realize Delilah's juice bottles had contained sedatives, she just thought the girl wasn't adjusting to the time difference.  
  
Ms Anderson told Weiss she was worried about leaving Delilah alone in the lobby on Friday morning, but her instructions had been very specific and she had been assured that the child would be safe. This is as far as the interrogation has gotten, because their prisoner has started to cry uncontrollably, explaining over and over that she thought she was doing no wrong. A unanimous yet silent decision to take a break was made. Weiss has the analysts working double time on verifying the intel Kimberley has given them, hoping to find some clues in it.  
  
And now Sydney watches her through the glass, a sense of compassion towards her beginning to sneak its was into her heart. She believes the girl - right now, she looks like no more than a girl - and that's the hardest part. Because Sydney is beginning to realize that there will not be many forthcoming answers on where she's been for the past 2 years. Or why her daughter has been dragged into play in this sick chess game.  
  
It's enough to make her want to scream.  
  
Sydney turns away from the window, intending to head back to her desk, when she sees Weiss and her father coming towards her. "Her intel checked out," Weiss tells her. "She works for Carrington's Au Pair Agency in London, and she was hired through them for the job. The suite at The Ritz was occupied by a woman named Alexandra DeRues, who claimed to be the wife of a French diplomat," Weiss hands Sydney a copy of the hotel registry so she can see for herself.  
  
"Any eyewitnesses?"  
  
"We haven't had a chance to properly question anyone yet," Jack begins, "but a team is being assembled now to go over and see what they can find. Security tapes are coming."  
  
Sydney nods, taking in all the new info. "Do you think Kimberley can ID the woman we're looking for?"  
  
Weiss tilts his head to one side, deep in thought, then nods slowly. "Yeah, I think so. She's already given us a brief description, as you already know."  
  
"Yeah. Medium height, dark Caucasian complexion, well dressed, always wore sunglasses," Sydney recites, thankful for her incredible memory. "Is that much to go on?"  
  
"I've compiled a book of photographs of people suspected of being involved with the covenant or K directorate in any way," Jack explains. "I thought we might see if she recognizes anyone."  
  
"I want to do it." Sydney tells them, her tone determined. The two men watch each other for a moment before turning back to her and nodding.  
  
Weiss' cell phone rings, causing them all to turn to him. He glances quickly at the screen and excuses himself, needing to take the call. A semi-comfortable silence descends between Sydney and her father.  
  
"So, is everything going alright at home?" Jack asks, vaguely.  
  
Sydney smiles a little at her father's attempt at a casual approach. "Delilah and I had a nice weekend," she tells him. "We did a lot of shopping, got her room all set up."  
  
"Oh, so I assume that means you intend to keep her living with you then?" Jack asks in a even tone, not betraying anything.  
  
"Yeah dad, I do." There is along pause. "You should come and have dinner with us one night, see my new place. I'm sure Delilah would love to spend time with her grand-père." Sydney watches in delight as Jack winces involuntarily at the new title he's gained. "Vaughn is bringing her in later to visit for a while,"  
  
"Vaughn?" This time, Jack Bristow cannot hide his surprise.  
  
"Yeah, Vaughn. He's taking care of her during the day for me. Didn't Dixon tell you?"  
  
"No, no. He must have forgotten that," Jack looks over Sydney's shoulder, grateful to see Weiss returning. "Are we ready to go?" he asks the two agents and they all nod.  
  
Sydney reaches out and takes the book of photographs from her father's hand. "I'm going in alone."  
  
Neither man tries to protest so Sydney opens the door and enters the room, turning to face their prisoner. The young woman looks up, startled, her eyes still fresh with tears, her cheeks read and blotchy from her crying.  
  
"You're Delilah's mum," she says in an almost awed tone. "She looks just like you."  
  
"My name is Agent Bristow," Sydney tells her, ignoring the personal realization the woman has made. "I'm going to show you some photographs, I want you to tell me if you recognize any of the people pictured."  
  
Sydney places the book down in front of Kimberley and opens to the first page. She looks at Sydney, hesitant at first, then turns her head down to study them all in succession. Five minutes pass without any recognition, until finally Kimberley gasps and turns the book to face Sydney, her finger on a photograph.  
  
"That's her. She was wearing light makeup, but it's definitely her," she tells Sydney, determined.  
  
Sydney follows she direction of the woman's finger to see who she is referring to. "No," she mutters to herself. "It can't be."  
  
For a moment she is mesmerized by the photo, but she quickly regains her concentration, turning back to the prisoner. "Thank you, I'll be back soon." She gathers up the album and walks quickly out the door and down the corridors towards Dixon's office.  
  
Sydney walks past his secretary and opens the office door unannounced, causing Dixon to look up surprised from his desk.  
  
"Allison Doren is alive."  
  
Sydney is sitting at her desk an hour later later, her head down, going over her notes for the millionth time, the implications of what Ms Anderson has told them still swimming around in her head.  
  
Allison Doren is alive. And she knows something about her past. She's had her daughter for god knows how long.  
  
It's enough to make her head hurt. Sloane, she had expected. Sark, yes. Even her mother, despite what her father had told her about their 'partnership' wouldn't have surprised her in the slightest. But Allison Doren? To Sydney it doesn't make any sense. How she survived after that night is mystery enough to try and figure out, let alone what role she has played in Sydney's missing time.  
  
Thankfully, Dixon has told them to quit for the day to give the analysts time to finish compiling all the information the prisoner has given them. All Sydney wants to do right now is go home and crawl into bed.  
  
Suddenly, a little voice shouting "Maman!" followed by a high pitched squeal permeates the air, causing Sydney to look up, startled. Crossing the room, sitting high on her Papa's shoulders is Delilah. One look at her laughing face is almost enough to make Sydney forget everything crap that's happened that day and she stands and walks towards the pair.  
  
"Bonjour, mon bébé," Sydney tells Delilah as Vaughn lifts her down from her perch and into her mother's arms. Delilah continues to babble in her own language as she pats her mothers face and grabs at her hair, obviously happy to see her.  
  
"I warn you, she hasn't slept yet," Vaughn tells Sydney as he places Delilah's bag on the floor. "I tried everything, I even sang! But she just refused to go to sleep, she seemed afraid she might miss something exciting if she did."  
  
Sydney looks up from her daughter, a smile still on her face. "You sang? Dare I ask what?" She watches in delight as Vaughn blushes slightly.  
  
"If you must know, we sang The Beatles."  
  
"What song?"  
  
"Something." Vaughn tells her, watching her face carefully to gauge her reaction. The significance of the song is not lost on Sydney as she has a flashback to a night, more than two years ago, when Vaughn sang the same song to her.  
  
"Something in the way she moves.attracts me like no other lover." Vaughn sang softly along with the stereo as he kissed a trail down her neck and across her shoulder. "Something in the way she woos me.I don't want to leave her now."  
  
Sydney forces herself back to the present, leaving the memory where it belongs in the past. "Maybe you'd have had more success with Yellow Submarine," she suggests, trying to keep the conversation light hearted.  
  
"Yeah, maybe." The pause is awkward. "Did you get anything useful from the woman who delivered her?"  
  
"We're not sure yet," Sydney tells him cautiously, aware of the fact he no longer has full CIA clearance. "We're still verifying some things, we should know more soon."  
  
Vaughn raises an eyebrow and gives her a look. "You realize I saw right through that answer, don't you?" Sydney doesn't respond, instead busying herself with detangling Delilah's little fingers from her hair. "I have to go meet Lauren, I'll be back soon," Vaughn tells her, still getting no response. He kisses the fingers on his right hand then reaches over and ruffles Delilah's hair with them. "See you soon, princess."  
  
Sydney heads back to her seat, Delilah in her arms. She gets herself comfortable in the chair, intent on getting her daughter to sleep, even just for a little while. But her attempts prove to be futile, Delilah getting more and more restless the longer they sit, as if she can feel her mother's tension and fear.  
  
"Hey, what's the girl doing here?" The pleasantly surprised sound of Eric Weiss' voice catches Sydney's attention as he approaches the pair.  
  
"Vaughn had to meet Lauren, he dropped her off a few minutes ago." She tells him in a matter-of-fact tone.  
  
"He had to meet Lauren? Is he going to tell her?"  
  
"I believe so," Sydney says, not allowing her voice to betray the many emotions she is currently trying to get under control. "Look, I'm going to take Delilah somewhere quieter to try and get her to sleep. If anyone asks, I'm taking a break." She doesn't wait for Weiss to reply, simply standing up and carrying her child out of the main centre and out into the far quieter corridors.  
  
Ten minutes of crooning and lullaby's in French begin to take their toll on Delilah as she finally allows her deep brown eyes to close in sleep. Sydney continues to rock her slightly, intent on keeping her content until she's fully asleep. However, her plans are quickly changed by the arrival of two other people into her quit space.  
  
"Lauren, just wait, please," Vaughn calls after his wife, trying to stop her as she walks a very determined path.  
  
"Michael, I have to get to this meeting, whatever you need to tell me can wait," she tells him, obviously in a hurry. So far, both are so wrapped up in their own conversation, that they have yet to notice Sydney, standing on the other side of the door, a sleeping toddler in her arms.  
  
"No it can't, Lauren. Something happened while you were gone, something big," The pleading tone in Vaughn's voice is finally enough to make his wife stop and turn, curious.  
  
"You never mentioned anything on the phone," she says simply, as if it negates what he's just said.  
  
"I know I didn't, I tried but.this is something I really need to tell you in person." Lauren doesn't answer just gives him a 'well, on with it' look. "Weiss called me on Saturday morning to tell me that Sydney had received some intel about her missing time, and that I needed to come and see her about it. He said it concerned me," Lauren still doesn't react, so Vaughn continues. "On Friday, a woman left a child in a stroller in the lobby of the Joint Task Force offices. The child, we have come to learn, is Sydney's daughter. And my daughter." To her credit, Lauren doesn't gasp or speak, but the look of surprise on her face is enough on its own. For a long minute there is silence on both sides of the door frame, Sydney all but holding her breath to keep them from discovering her presence. This is not really a conversation she needed or wanted to hear.  
  
"Are you sure?" is Lauren's first question.  
  
"The DNA matched up, so we're pretty sure," Vaughn tells her. "Besides, you only need to look at her to know she's Sydney's daughter."  
  
Lauren nods, her face an attempt at a blank mask of not caring. "Does anyone have any idea on where she's been all this time, why the child was bought back?" she asks, attempting to keep this about business and ignore the fact that inside she's being ripped apart.  
  
"There is an investigation currently being undertaken, Jack Bristow is heading it up with Dixon."  
  
"Any leads yet?"  
  
"I.I don't know," Vaughn tells her, surprised by her reaction. "Lauren, are you ok?" he asks.  
  
"Me? I'm fine," she says in a falsely brave voice. "Um, I really have to go to this meeting, we can talk more later." Before anyone can react, Lauren turns and walks through the doorway where Sydney is hiding, running almost smack into her and Delilah. The jolt is enough to wake the little girl and she jerks her head up, confused, and begins to cry.  
  
Vaughn's heads spins in their direction as he recognizes Delilah's cry. There is a caotic moment as they all look at one another. The horrified look on Lauren's face meeting the embarrassed panic on Vaughn's and the startled look of Sydney.  
  
"I wasn't listening," Sydney blurts out, breaking the silence. "I was just trying to get Delilah to sleep, it's quieter out here." She knows she's rambling, nervously trying to difuse the potentially explosive scenario that is unfolding before her.  
  
"Delilah?" Lauren asks, her tone a mixture of amusement and badly hidden anger. "What an interesting name!" She reaches over to touch Delilah's face, but the child screams louder and curls back into her mother's embrace. "She's not very friendly." Lauren comments, causing Sydney to have a sudden urge to smack her head in.  
  
"Yes she is, Lauren," Vaughn tells her, reaching over for his daughter to prove his point. Delilah goes willingly into his arms, muttering "papa" as she buries her tear-stained face into his shirt, her tears subsiding immediately. "She's just tired, she didn't sleep for me today,"  
  
"For you?" The disgust that Lauren has been concealing in her tone breaks through.  
  
"Yeah, for me," Vaughn turns to his wife, his face showing the displeasure he is feeling at the way she is acting. "Delilah is going to be spending her days with me whilst Sydney is working, starting today."  
  
Lauren's mouth falls open, then closes again without uttering a sound. "Well, I really have to get to this meeting," she says abruptly, putting her bag back on her shoulder and beginning down the hall again.  
  
"Lauren, wait." Vaughn braces Delilah against his chest and chases his wife down the corridor. He has to reach out and grab her shoulder to get her to stop. "We need to talk about this,"  
  
"Maybe you do, but I have to get to this meeting," Lauren wrenches her arms forcefully away and continues down the hallway. Vaughn calls after her a few more times, but she doesn't turn. Finally, defeated, her turns back to Sydney. "Well, that went well," he says dryly.  
  
"I'm sorry Vaughn," Sydney tells him. "I really didn't mean to be out here, I was just trying to escape from Weiss."  
  
"It's not your fault, Syd." His voice is soft with a hint of sadness. "She didn't want to hear what I had to tell her; that's her fault, not yours." He kisses the side of Delilah's head and hugs her tight for a moment. She's almost asleep again, settled in her papa's arms. "I think I'm going to go home, wait for her there. What time do you want me to drop her off?"  
  
"No need, I'll take her home with me. Dixon's letting me leave early."  
  
"Are you sure? Because, if you want some free time I can - "  
  
"Vaughn, it's fine," Sydney is touched by his generous willingness to help her in any way. "I actually would love some free time just with her."  
  
He nods in understanding, having just experienced a whole day of such time with Delilah. "Well, then I guess I'll see you in the morning, then? Is eight still ok?"  
  
Sydney smiles at him, "Vaughn, I'll find someone else to watch her, you don't need to do it."  
  
"But I want to!"  
  
"But Lauren won't be happy," Sydney tells him plainly, trying to make him see the reality of the situation.  
  
Vaughn looks Sydney straight in the eye, a determined expression playing across his face. "Delilah is my daughter, Syd. My responsibility. Lauren will have to learn and accept that fact."  
  
For a moment they watch each other, waiting for the other to react. Finally, Sydney breaks the gaze, fully aware that there is n changing Vaughn's mind. "Ok. We'll see you in the morning, I guess."  
  
"Good." Vaughn smiles at her. "Why don't you go get her things, and then I'll carry her to your car. Save you waking her up."  
  
"Thanks, that's a good idea. I'll be right back."  
  
Sydney quickly makes her way to her desk and gathers up Delilah's bag and her own belongings. As she's swinging her jacket around her shoulders she sees Lauren watching her from across the room. Their eyes lock, expressions blank yet speaking volumes. After a moment, Sydney turns away, determined not to let the woman goad her into reacting.  
  
"Ready to go?" she asks Vaughn as she approaches, Delilah's bag hanging off of one shoulder.  
  
Vaughn merely nods and together the trio makes the silent 3 minute journey to the parking garage. Sydney stows the bags in the front passenger seat whilst Vaughn carefully straps Delilah into her seat, somehow managing not to wake her. "I still have her stroller," he tells her suddenly, just remembering the object in the trunk of his car.  
  
"Keep it for tomorrow, I'll survive." A pause. "Thank you for today, it's a huge weight off of my mind knowing she's with you."  
  
"Thank you for letting me have the time with her." Sydney nods as she leans into the car to start the engine. "Sydney?" She straightens up to face Vaughn. "We'll make this work. You, me, Delilah, Lauren.we'll make it work out, I promise."  
  
Sydney doesn't answer, but merely smiles at his optimism. "I hope so." She gently closes the door to her car and puts it into gear. "I'll see you in the morning, Vaughn." She reverses the car out of the space and puts it into drive, taking a moment to glance in the rearview mirror. Vaughn is still standing there, waving.  
  
He doesn't move until she's driven out of sight. 


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: See notes at the end. Dedicated to Laura who read this first and to OddShadowyEgg who made me go all gooey when she replied to my feedback for her fic.  
  
Thanks to JeSouhaite and Nicole for beta duties.  
  
"Delilah, slow down," Sydney calls feebly after her daughter, hurrying to keep her little brown, bobbing pigtails in sight. Chasing her 21 month old child in this heat is not much fun. Hottest July 4th on record, she heard earlier. Well, bully for the records then.  
  
"Delilah Bristow Vaughn, stop that little butt of yours now!" Sydney calls again, starting to get very frustrated.  
  
"No!" Delilah shouts back, using her favourite new word and making Sydney slightly regret the day she decided to teach her English.  
  
She quickens her pace, finally catching her daughter and picking her up off of the floor.  
  
"Yes, my girl," Sydney says firmly, holding onto her tight in spite of the toddler's frantic squirming.  
  
"Everything ok, Sydney?" she looks up to see Dixon's daughter, Robyn, poking her head in from the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah Robyn, I'm fine. Where can I change her?" Sydney indicates the wiggling mass of child in her arms.  
  
"You can use my bathroom if you like," Robyn tells her, coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of salad in her hand. "Upstairs, second door on the right."  
  
"Thanks, sweetie," Sydney hastily makes her way up the stairs, desperate to change her rather pungent smelling child. The sounds of the barbeque outside are drifting through the upstairs windows; people laughing, music playing loudly, the children splashing around in the pool. The majority of the workers from the JTF and many of Dixon's family have gathered here today to celebrate Independence Day.  
  
After quickly cleaning Delilah up, Sydney takes her back downstairs and out into the backyard once again. She carries her child across the lawn, not willing to put her down and risk her plunging headfirst into the pool. Unfortunately, Delilah has other plans.  
  
"Papa!" Delilah squeals and tries to vault herself from her mother's grasp. Sydney turns to see Vaughn and Lauren coming in the side gate, a plate of something held in Lauren's hand. Vaughn hears his daughter's enthusiastic greeting and comes over to her, smiling widely.  
  
"Hey beautiful girl," he tells her as he reaches over and takes her willingly into his arms. Lauren watches the exchange somewhat darkly as she approaches, but forces a smile on her face as she reaches out to touch Delilah's hand in her own greeting. Delilah looks at her with a look that clearly says 'please tell me you are kidding' but doesn't scream. An improvement, in Sydney's book.  
  
"I'll just go put this with the other food," Lauren tells Vaughn, gesticulating with the plate in her hand. "You want a drink?"  
  
"Just a soda, thanks," Vaughn's answer is brisk as he is distracted by the child in his arms.  
  
"Hey, Vaughn," Sydney says, finally greeting him. "Sorry about the excited greeting, I guess she's not used to being away from you so much."  
  
"She's not used to it?" Vaughn says lightly. "I'm not coping so well myself. I miss having her around every day."  
  
"Well, that's what you get for quitting a nice cushy private teaching job to join the ranks of the CIA once again," Sydney teases him. Vaughn had returned to his old job only two weeks ago after his position at the school had been made redundant. He had explained to Sydney that he wanted to come back not just because he had loved his job, but because he felt a need to be personally involved in the search for Delilah's captor - as they now called Allison Doren. A search that was still not going well.  
  
Three months since Delilah arrived in the lobby of the JTF facility and they still have no idea where she was before then or why she was brought back. The security tapes from The Ritz and from Heathrow all confirmed that it was in fact Allison Doren who had hired Kimberley Anderson to deliver Delilah to Sydney. However, they gave no clues as to where she had come from before, or where she had vanished to since.  
  
"How did she do in day care this week?" Vaughn asks, breaking Sydney from her thoughts. It takes her a moment to realize Vaughn is asking about Delilah's place at the government run day care that Dixon had organized. Normally reserved for use by actual State Department employees and their children, he had pulled a few strings to get Delilah a place there when Vaughn had returned to the CIA.  
  
"She seems to like it," Sydney tells Vaughn. "She doesn't cry anymore, she just gives me this look that makes me want to slash my wrists for being such a horrible mother."  
  
Vaughn smiles and places a wet kiss on Delilah's red little cheek. "That's my girl, using guilt as a bargaining chip." Delilah giggles and makes a grab for Vaughn's face, patting his cheeks with her hands. "Hey, are we still on for tonight?" Vaughn asks Sydney, his eyes not wavering from his daughter.  
  
"What's tonight?" a voice asks, and they turn to see Lauren has rejoined their group, a glass of white wine in one hand and a bottle of Coke in the other. She gives Vaughn his drink and he kisses her cheek in thanks.  
  
"I asked Sydney if Delilah could stay with us tonight," he tells his wife. "I'm still adjusting to not having her during the day, and I thought some time together would be nice. Besides, Syd could use a night off."  
  
"Oh, you didn't mention anything earlier," Lauren's tone is a little strained, causing Sydney to give her a look that plainly dares her to try and interfere with Vaughn's time with Delilah. Thankfully, Lauren says no more, apparently aware of the folly of trying to come between her husband and his daughter.  
  
"I forgot, sorry. We didn't have anything planned, I didn't think it would be a problem." Vaughn tells Lauren, barely looking at her as he is intent on giving Delilah a sip of his soda.  
  
"It's not," Lauren says, opening her mouth again to elaborate then apparently changing her mind and closing it again.  
  
"So, what are you going tonight?" Vaughn asks Sydney in a friendly tone.  
  
"Oh I have a huge night planned," Sydney tells him with a smile. "I have a hot date."  
  
"Really?" Vaughn does nothing to hide the mixture of surprise and horror in his tone. "Might I ask who with?"  
  
"Richard Curtis," she tells him, unable to hide her grin. "He's a screenwriter, he wrote Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, stuff like that."  
  
"Oh, so you're just watching movies then." Relief is not a good colour for Michael Vaughn Sydney thinks with a smile. And jealously doesn't suit his wife much better.  
  
"Mike!" Eric Weiss' voice rings out across the crowd. Vaughn turns and waves to him, grateful for the distraction, then turns to the women. "Delilah and I are gonna go mingle. We'll see you later," he kisses Lauren gently then moves away.  
  
Lauren and Sydney stand silent for an awkward moment, before Sydney bravely breaks the ice. "Have you seen the guest of honour yet?" she asks, indicating where a small crowd is gathered on the porch. Sitting in a soft shaded corner away from the boiling sun is Carrie Bowman, sipping on a glass of iced tea as she converses with one of the new analysts whose name Sydney thinks might be Marta. In a tiny wicker bassinet beside her sleeps Eliza Grace Bowman Flinkman, the newest member of the CIA 'family'. Sydney had met her 12 days ago when she and Delilah visited the family in the hospital. Lauren glances at the crowd then shakes her head. "Marshall showed me about 20 photos the other day, but I haven't seen her or Carrie yet."  
  
"Come, I'll introduce you," Sydney offers, leading Lauren across the yard.  
  
It's after 5pm before the crowd starts to slowly drift out of the yard and into their cars. Marshall and Carrie leave first, taking their tiny daughter home to bed. Sydney helps Robyn in the kitchen, rinsing platters and bowls and placing them in the dishwasher, whilst keeping eyes on Vaughn and Delilah in the pool outside. The two of them and Weiss are the only ones left in the water, the rest of the children dragged home by their various parents. In fact, as she glances quickly around the yard, Sydney realizes that almost everyone is gone.  
  
"Hey Syd, you don't need to do that," Dixon's voice echoes across the kitchen as he enters, the dirty barbeque tools balances precariously on a plate in his hands.  
  
"Dixon, I don't mind. It was such a great day, I feel like it's the least I can do."  
  
"Well, thank you. We can finish up here. Go say goodbye to your daughter." He gestures out the window to where Vaughn is lifting Delilah out of the water to Weiss. He climbs out himself then wraps the two of them up in a fluffy towel. Sydney touches Dixon's arm then wanders down the hall towards the back door. She exits onto the porch where Vaughn is fighting Delilah back into her clothes.  
  
"Are you guys off?" Sydney asks, causing Vaughn to look up as he slips Delilah's head through her shirt.  
  
"We will be in a minute. Lauren's in the bathroom," he maneuvers a wiggling arm into a sleeve.  
  
"I'll grab her bag for you," Sydney says, turning and ducking in the back door to collect the diaper bag from where she'd stashed it earlier. "Here," she hands Vaughn the bag and he pulls out a diaper, quickly laying Delilah down on the towel and stripping off her Little Swimmers. He re-diapers her with such ease that Sydney has to smile, remembering how difficult the task had seemed to him in the beginning. Vaughn proceeds to struggle Delilah back into her shorts, then lifts her off of the porch and into his arms.  
  
"Thanks," he tells Sydney as he slings the diaper bag over his free shoulder. "Hey, there you are," Vaughn's attention is drawn to Lauren who is exiting the house. "Ready to go?"  
  
Lauren doesn't speak, but merely nods. Dixon steps out from the house to say farewell to the last of his guests. Vaughn and Lauren both thank him for the day, before Vaughn turns to Sydney.  
  
"We'll see you tomorrow," he tells her as she steps forward to kiss Delilah.  
  
"Bye baby," she tells her daughter, who - much to her dismay - doesn't seem too fazed to be leaving her. Sydney steps back to stand next to a freshly dried and dressed Weiss. She watches as Lauren reaches up and takes Delilah's bag from Vaughn's arm, placing herself in it's place. Smiling Vaughn wraps his free arm around his wife, his other one lifting Delilah more securely against him. Together, the three of them walk out the side gate towards the street, leaving Sydney watching sadly behind them.  
  
"Come on," Weiss tells her as he steps up to her side, his tone jovial and light. "I'll let you drive me home." Sydney turns to Weiss and smiles, reaching over to put her arms through his.  
  
Sydney takes full advantage of her evening of peace. She begins with a long and leisurely soak in the bath, complete with candles and a good book. She can't deny that it feels wonderful to be able to do this without wondering if Delilah will interrupt her. After a simple dinner of cold meat and salad, Sydney spins a bag of microwave popcorn through its cycle and settles herself down on the sofa, armed with a glass of wine and the remote.  
  
She makes it all the way through Notting Hill before the phone disrupts her.  
  
"Hello," she answers.  
  
"Hey Syd, it's just me," she smiles at the sound of Vaughn's voice. "I'm sorry to interrupt your night of freedom, but Delilah wanted to say goodnight."  
  
"That's ok, interrupt me anytime. Put her on the phone," There is a shuffle as Vaughn gives the phone to Delilah.  
  
"Maman?" she asks, questioning the identity on the end of the line.  
  
"Hé jolie fille (Hey pretty girl), you having fun with Papa?"  
  
"Dotty!" she squeals, causing Sydney to move the phone away for a moment. When she places the phone back, Delilah is babbling in her own version of English.  
  
"I love you Delilah, I'll see you tomorrow ok? Sleep tight baby."  
  
"Love, Maman!" Delilah tells her, making Sydney smile even wider. There is another shuffle and a moment later Vaughn reclaims the telephone.  
  
"Dotty?" Sydney asks, curious.  
  
"I bought her new pyjamas. Dorothy The Dinosaur, she's very excited."  
  
"You bought her more presents?" Sydney asks unbelievingly. Vaughn spoils their daughter in the worst way, it seems that every time he sees her she comes back with a new toy or piece of clothing. Last week, Delilah had come home with a tiny pair of LA Kings ice skates, much to her mother's dismay. She didn't have the co-ordination yet to stand up in them, but Vaughn had insisted on buying them for her. Add to the list the state-of- the-art digital camcorder he had bought himself and proceeded to use to capture every breath Delilah took, and you have one very spoiled Daddy's Little Girl.  
  
"Just one thing!" Vaughn defends himself. "Besides, Lauren bought it, not me."  
  
"Oh. Well, I guess it's ok," Sydney tries to hide the confused note in her voice. While she knows that Lauren's feelings towards her daughter no longer border on hatred, they have never before extended to gift giving. "Tell her I said thank you."  
  
"I will. I'll drop Delilah off tomorrow night, if that's ok with you."  
  
"It's fine, Vaughn. Thank you again for taking her," Sydney tells him softly, hoping to make him see just how important it is for her that he has a relationship with their daughter.  
  
"It's my pleasure, believe me. I'm gonna go put her to bed. You enjoy your time alone."  
  
"I will, Vaughn. Goodnight."  
  
"Night Syd." And with that, they hung up.  
  
Sydney sits quietly for a moment, looking at the phone in her hand as she replays the conversation again in her head. Smiling, she gets up to change the DVD and pop a fresh bag of popcorn. Twenty minutes into Love Actually the phone rings again, causing Sydney to smile as she answers.  
  
"She won't go to sleep?" she answers without greeting, assuming Vaughn is the one on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Hello, Sydney." The voice is impersonal and even, but Sydney recognizes it right away.  
  
"Allison," she replies carefully, unable to come up with anything more as she prays that the CIA is tracing this call. Her phone companion, however, doesn't seem bothered by her lack of conversation.  
  
"I thought that by bringing Delilah back to you it would help you remember, Sydney," she tells her. "But instead, you seem content to just sit back and enjoy your newly domestic life."  
  
"Remember what, Allison," Sydney asks, trying to keep Doren on the phone long enough to get a trace on her location, well aware that the woman isn't stupid enough to give out any sort of valuable information over the phone. However, the hatred she feels towards this woman is boiling to the surface and she has to fight to keep in under control.  
  
"Meet me at midnight tomorrow local time at 24 Rue Des Rêves in Paris," Allison says, obviously ignoring any hint of anger in Sydney's tone. "Your daughter's life depends on it." The phone goes silent for a moment before the dial tone indicates the call is disconnected.  
  
Thirty seconds later, the phone in her hand rings once again.  
  
"Hello?" she answers, concerned about who is on the other end.  
  
"Agent Bristow, we recorded the call you just received," the voice from the CIA is one she recognizes, but the face connected to it is blank in her mind. "I've contacted Agent Dixon. He wants you at the Ops Centre immediately."  
  
Sydney takes a breath, trying hard to process the events of the last two minutes. "I'll be right in," she tells the voice on the phone. Her instincts kick in as she gathers shoes, a sweater and digs her car keys out of her purse. As she locks her front door behind her she hears another door close and glances down the hallway to see Weiss exiting his own apartment.  
  
"Need a ride?" she asks. Weiss looks up and nods. Together they walk out to Sydney's car.  
  
"What's going on?" he asks, curious. "Do you know?"  
  
"Allison Doren called me," is all Sydney tells him.  
  
They spend the rest of the drive in silence. Sydney teeters on the edges of the speed limits the entire way, eager to get to the JTF. After what seems far too long, she pulls her SUV into a parking space in the garage and she and Eric unload themselves. As they enter the rotunda, Sydney is startled to find Vaughn waiting for them already, a very sleepy Delilah flopped in his arms. She rushes over, needing to touch and smell her daughter, to verify she's ok.  
  
"What is she doing here?" she asks Vaughn secretly glad but still curious.  
  
"She was still half awake when I got the call, and she screamed blue murder when I tried to give her to Lauren so I brought her with me. I didn't think you'd mind."  
  
"I don't mind, not at all," she runs her hand gently over Delilah's soft hair. Underneath her blank exterior she's secretly delighted that Vaughn was forced to bring Delilah with him. She worries occasionally about her daughter becoming too comfortable with Lauren, but apparently there is no fear of that.  
  
"Guys," Weiss' voice breaks the moment. "Dixon wants us in the conference room now."  
  
Delilah still in his arms, Vaughn leads the way to find not only Dixon and Weiss but Jack Bristow waiting for them. Sydney quickly takes a seat, Vaughn beside her. Delilah's presence causes a few raised eyebrows, but no one comments.  
  
"Sydney, we were unable to trace the call. I'm sorry," Dixon tells her. "To bring the rest of you up to speed, Allison Doren contacted Agent Bristow approximately half an hour ago. We were able to record the call." Dixon presses a button and once again Sydney hears the sound of Allison's voice.  
  
"Have you checked out the address?" Vaughn asks quietly, aware of the sleeping child in his arms.  
  
"Yes," Jack tells him. "It's a private residence in a suburb of Paris. Purchased two years ago by a woman named Julia Thorne." With the press of a button an image of an inviting looking townhouse style home comes up on the screen. Jack looks up at Sydney. "Ring any bells?"  
  
Sydney quickly cross-checks the name and the image of the house with those in her memory but comes up blank. "No, it doesn't."  
  
"The plane for Paris leaves in three hours," Dixon tells them, drawing the attention of the room back to him. "Basically, the plan is for Sydney to meet with Doren as planned with backup from Vaughn and Weiss. Jack will run the op from here. The aim of this op is to capture Allison Doren, however," he pauses, moving his gaze to Sydney. "we have been given word that if need be we can shoot to kill." The silence in the room is almost deafening. "Any questions?" No one says a word. "Op tech is standard surveillance, comms and weaponry. Meet at the airfield in two and a half hours. Dismissed."  
  
Dixon gathers up his paperwork and exits the room quickly, Sydney watching him as he leaves. Vaughn tells Sydney he's going to take Delilah back to his desk and leaves, Weiss not far behind him, leaving Sydney and her father alone.  
  
"Are you ok?" Jack asks, concerned for his child.  
  
Sydney nods. "I think so. I might finally get some answers to all my questions, who wouldn't be happy with that?"  
  
"I know, this op has great potential for information," Jack pauses and looks down at his hands for a moment then back up at his daughter. "Why did Agent Vaughn bring Delilah with him?"  
  
"She wouldn't stay with Lauren," Sydney answers, managing to keep her slight smile of satisfaction to herself before realizing something, horrified. "Oh god, Delilah." She looks up at her father. "What am I going to do with her?"  
  
"I already asked Dixon. She is more than welcome to stay with them. Hannah, his nanny, will collect her from your house in an hour."  
  
Sydney stares at her father, surprised by his degree of organization in relation to her child. "Thank you," she tells him. "It means a lot to me to know she'll be safe."  
  
"I have some experience in that area," Jack tells her with the closest thing to a smile she's seen from her father for a long time. "You'd better get ready, you don't have much time."  
  
"Ok. I'll see you later." Sydney turns to leave but her father says her name, causing her to turn back to him.  
  
"Good luck," he says simply, causing Sydney to smile.  
  
After taking Delilah back to their house to pack a bag for each of them, Sydney grudgingly hands her over to the Dixon's nanny. Vaughn had come with her to say goodbye, each of them hugging their daughter long and tight before kissing her goodbye. Then, together with Weiss, they make their way to the plane.  
  
Sydney manages to sleep part of the uneventful flight to Paris, spending the rest of the time chatting with Weiss and sitting quietly with Vaughn. They arrive in France around lunchtime, local time, and head straight for the hotel to prepare.  
  
The afternoon and evening seem to drag on as Sydney waits for it to get close to her meeting time. She spends the time going over the details for the op and attempting to stay calm about the entire situation. She and Vaughn both talk to Delilah in the evening, and Sydney's fears are calmed a little when she realizes her daughter is safe and having a wonderful time with Steven and Robyn. Finally, at 10:30pm they all suit up in their ops gear and load into the rented van for the drive to the house on Rue Des Rêves.  
  
As they turn down the small quiet street Sydney feels an eerie sense of déjà vu creeping over her. "Vaughn," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "This feels almost.familiar."  
  
Vaughn looks at her. "How so?"  
  
"I don't know," Sydney tells him truthfully. "It just does."  
  
Weiss pulls the van to a stop in front of number 24, which is dark and silent before them. Sydney glances at her watch, 11:47pm. She watches the house in silence for a few minutes, unable to shake the feeling of déjà vu. Eventually, she turns back to Vaughn and Weiss.  
  
"Comms working?" she asks and they nod in reply. "Surveillance?"  
  
"Heat detectors show no life forms inside the house," Vaughn tells her. "She's not here yet."  
  
Sydney turns back to look at the house again, intrigued now. "Ok, I'm going in," she tells them.  
  
"We'll be watching and listening, Syd," Weiss tells her. "Just yell if you need backup."  
  
"I will," Sydney gives them one last glance before sliding open the side door and exiting the van.  
  
She walks slowly across the quiet street, lit dimly by street lamps, and opens the low gate that separates the property from the sidewalk. She pauses for a moment, the sense of déjà vu in the pit of her stomach quickly turning itself to nervous apprehension. She steps over the property line and onto the front path. The garden is surprisingly neat and tidy, obviously recently maintained. There is no light coming from the house, no porch light on to greet her. She walks up the front steps, weapon drawn, and tries the front doorknob. Locked, not surprisingly. Sydney is about to reach for her lock picking equipment when she suddenly has the urge to lift the pot out of a hanging planter basket on the edge of the porch. When she reaches into the space underneath, her fingers withdraw a door key. With her breath held she puts it in the lock and turns. The front door opens.  
  
"Oh my god," she mutters under her breath.  
  
"What's wrong?" Vaughn's voice is in her ear a moment later.  
  
"I found the spare key," Sydney tells him, her voice a little awed and confused. "It's almost as if I remembered where it was."  
  
"Do you remember anything else?"  
  
"Nothing yet," Sydney pushes open the front door and brandishes her gun, looking around quickly for any signs of movement. "I'm going in," she tells Vaughn.  
  
The interior of the house is dark, and Sydney narrowly misses slamming her knee into a hall table. Unwilling to turn on any lights she relies upon her night goggles to show the way. She walks slowly down the hallway to the right into what she assumes to be a living area. A quick surveillance of the area reveals nothing and she continues to a door on the far side.  
  
Pausing, she pushes open the door rushing through with her weapon drawn, finding nothing on the other side. She's in the kitchen now, eerie in it's darkness and stillness. She makes her way to the far end of the room where a door is slightly ajar. She's about to open it when a voice from behind startles her.  
  
"I was afraid you wouldn't come," Allison Doren tells her, her weapon aimed from across the kitchen counter at Sydney's temple.  
  
"I had too many questions not to come," Sydney tells her plainly.  
  
"I thought that by giving Delilah back to you, it would make you remember," Allison tells her, obviously ignoring Sydney's comment.  
  
"Forgive me for not thanking you for returning a child that wasn't yours to her rightful mother. After all, you were the one who took her from me in the first place."  
  
"No one took her from you, Sydney. You need to remember how it was, how we were." Allison pauses. "There was a time you trusted me with Delilah's very existence. And now, I need you to trust me again."  
  
"Why?" Sydney asks, angry now at the other woman's vagueness. "Why should I trust you, what can you tell me besides the fact that you're a criminal who killed my best friend and took my daughter away from me."  
  
"She is in danger from the man she calls her father," Allison continues cryptically. "He's going to hurt her."  
  
"Vaughn would never hurt Delilah," Sydney says sternly. "He loves her."  
  
"I'm not talking about Delilah!" Allison shouts, her tone desperate and forceful all at the same time. Sydney stops, staring, not understanding what she's getting at. "You need to remember."  
  
Allison lowers her weapon and moves out of the kitchen into the main hallway, indicating for Sydney to follow. Her gun trained on the fugitive, Sydney does, walking slowly behind Allison as she climbs the stairs and stops in front of a closed door. Wordlessly, she opens the door and gestures for Sydney to enter. Sydney turns around and goes through the doorway backwards, her gun still trained on Allison in the hallway. But one quick glance at the contents of the room and she lets her guard down completely.  
  
There, on the deep wine coloured run in the middle of the room, sit two identical antique mahogany cribs. Sydney stares at them in horror, unable to say a word. Slowly, she forces herself to walk carefully around the room. She finds herself staring at a photograph on the dresser, in a familiar antique silver frame. It is of herself, obviously recent, holding a 9-month-old ish looking Delilah on one knee. On the other knee sits the same child, but dressed in purple instead of Delilah's pink. Sydney gasps, unable to process the meaning of everything. She turns wildly to the doorway again and her eyes catch on two teddy bears propped up in the rocking chair near the doorway. She walks over to them, her breath held, and reads the neat letters embroidered on the matching shirts they wear.  
  
'Delilah' one says.  
  
'Amelia' states the other.  
  
Her second daughter.  
  
Delilah's twin.  
  
"Oh my god." The realization is enough to turn Sydney's stomach. She leans over and is unceremoniously ill into a waste paper basket in the corner. As she straightens up, she turns and comes face to face with Allison once again.  
  
"I've risked my life by telling you this tonight," Allison begins without preamble. "But you need to find her, save her from him. You must remember everything. I'm sorry." Before Sydney knows it, she receives a sharp blow to the side of the head and everything goes black.  
  
Sydney hears voices around her, muted and far away. She feels light shining down on her face but can't quite make out the images. The one thing she knows is that someone is holding on to her right hand very tight, as if their own life depended on it. Slowly, the fog begins to lift and she makes out the voices of Weiss and Vaughn as well as others. She slowly opens her eyes to see she's on the floor in the front hall of the house. Weiss is standing above her, radioing in for backup, and Vaughn is kneeling beside her, his left hand tightly grasping onto her right one.  
  
"Syd, Sydney are you ok," he asks as he sees her eyes open. Sydney studies her surroundings for a moment and then it all comes flooding back. Paris. Allison Doren. Delilah.  
  
Oh god.  
  
"Allison," she manages to choke out, her head pounding at the use of her voice.  
  
"She got away," Vaughn tells her. "I'm sorry, there was a hidden entrance in the basement she used. We couldn't catch her. I'm just sorry we didn't get to stop her from hurting you."  
  
"Vaughn," Sydney tells him suddenly. "She didn't come to hurt me, she came to warn me. Didn't you hear us?"  
  
He shakes his head. "Something in the house disabled the comms, we didn't hear anything from the moment you came in. Why, what did she need to warn you about."  
  
"About Delilah, about her sister," Vaughn looks at her, very confused. "Delilah has a twin, Amelia. Sark has her, he had Delilah too." Sydney pauses for a minute to meet Vaughn's gaze, her eyes full of pain and confusion and desperately seeking comfort in his gaze. "I remember everything."  
  
**********  
  
It's well past 4am when Allison finally enters the front door of the apartment they're currently keeping in London. Exhausted after her flight from Paris, she hangs her jacket in the hall and leaves her shoes and bag by the door, heading straight for the nursery.  
  
Amelia is asleep in her crib, as one would hope at this hour. Allison pauses for a moment, her arms resting on the side rails, to glance down at the child she's helped raise for most of her life. It really is startling how much these girls resemble their mother, she thinks to herself as she examines Amelia's delicate hairline and face shape, so very identical to her sister.  
  
"Don't worry, baby," she croons, reaching down with one hand to stroke the sleeping child's cheek. "Your Maman will be coming to get you soon." She straightens up and feels the cold steel of a gun barrel placed against the back of her head.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that, Alison," Sark's voice is cold and angry, yet still with that playful lilt he can never seem to shake. "I gave you permission to give back Delilah, but this time you really have gone too far." He grabs her by the hair and backs her away from the crib.  
  
"But she's her child, Julian. Sydney Bristow is her mother."  
  
"Not anymore, she isn't," Sark pulls the trigger and watches in dismay as blood splatters all over the clean white walls and carpet. Oh well, they'll be out of here by the morning anyway, leave the mess for someone else to clean up.  
  
Startled by the sudden noise, Amelia awakes, screaming. Sark turns quickly to her, crossing the room in two steps to pick up his child from her standing position in her crib, the tears running freely down her face as she wails in terror.  
  
"Shh, Ami baby. It's ok. Don't cry now, please. Daddy's got you now."  
  
He steps carefully over Allison's lifeless body, his slowly calming child nestled in his arms.  
  
**********  
  
OK, so this part was a little different to what you expected, yes? Well, this part was actually the first vision I ever had for the story. I know I said that this was set after The Two, but I realize now there is a lot of stuff from Succession as well. But, obviously, Sark isn't still in CIA custody. The sequel to this is called, funnily enough, Amelia. And the first part won't be out until the new year, so I'm sorry. Thank you so much to everyone for reading this, and I hope y'all have a wonderful Christmas. I'll see you in a few weeks with Amelia. 


End file.
